Lions 'Increasingly Eating Humans'

[matcom]

<snip>

NEARLY 1000 a people have been killed or maimed by lions in Tanzania in the past 15 years, a study says.

The encroachment of humans in the predators' environment has resulted in the dramatic increase, the study published in the latest edition of Nature magazine said.
In total, 563 Tanzanians have died and 308 have been injured in lion attacks since 1990.

Forty per cent of the attacks occurred during the harvest season, when farmers slept in the field in make-shift huts to ward off wild pigs, the joint study by the University of Minnesota and Tanzania's Wildlife Research Institute found.

According to the team of researchers, led by Dr Craig Packer of the University of Minnesota's Lion Research Centre, lions which traditionally prey on the wild pigs have found their food source dwindling because of spreading human activity.

As a result, they have taken to dragging people from their beds, attacking mothers with babies or children playing outside, and pouncing on people going to their outdoor toilets.

One victim in five is a child younger than 10, the authors said.
In large part, the rise in attacks can be linked to Tanzania's growing number of humans, which has jumped from 23 million in 1988 to 35 million today.

This has reduced the hunting grounds of the lions, of which Tanzania has the biggest population in all of Africa.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16300905-13762,00.html

[Mutley]

1. Obviously, lions consider humans prey.

Maybe the humans should stay away from them.

[LiberalEsto]

2. Perhaps the entire current White House administration

should schedule a nice little state visit to Tanzania.

On the other hand, we wouldn't want the lions to get indigestion.

[Deep13]

4. Hey!

I got theatened with banishment for "expressing sympathy for harming the president".

Anyway, we have plenty of the lions' favorite food right here: "Christian" zealots.

[Burma Jones]

3. Wellll, as long as we're going to emulate the Roman Empire.....

If Lions are going to chomp down on humans, someone should make a buck outta it, right?????

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4386076

[AntiCoup2K4]

7. Don't give them any ideas.

[underpants]

5. Oh I thought this had to do with the underwear shortage in Europe

:bounce:

[Shell Beau]

6. They ARE predators and will attack.

Nothing new there. I hate it for the people! But they may be acting in desperation since their food source is dwindling and humans are rampant.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Yippee!! Go nature!

Do your thing!

This time, Gaia, FIGHT BACK!

Though I feel awfully sorry for the people who have been killed and injured, and their families, perhaps this something that will let them know not to fucking trash the environment, and leave it the hell alone like they're supposed to, and like they did for 50,000 years.

[Coventina]

9. Yeah, the headline should read, "Human encroachment pressures lions"

But of course, humans are always the "good" guys and the animals are always the "bad" guys.

:eyes: