A while back there was some discussion on this list about LGD's taking on big cats in Africa due the recent use of Anatolian's in protecting South African stock from cheetahs.
Well, sleek, skinny cheetahs are one thing. But what about a 500 lb. male African lion? How would an LGD react to such an animal? The vast majority of LGDs of course will never see one, ours included, but ours did get to have an unexpected encounter with some lion fur. Let me explain...
Today Ben gave me a wondeful pre-birthay present and took me to visit a very nice wildlife preserve, primarily for big cats, run by actress Tipi Hedren. Once a month the preserve opens its doors to a small group of interested lay people who can observe their cats (including lions, panthers, cheetahs, cervils and tigers) up close and personal, albeit through the welcome security of fences. Many of the animals there are rescues from circus situations, "pet" homes (as if there could be such a term for an animal like a lion) and other situations which have left them fairly socialized if often brutally traumatized. Many of the cats there approach humans with friendly and playful attitudes, very different from what you see in a zoo or even in the wild. And although it's never a heartening thing to see wild beings behind bars, it was hard to deny that these animals seemed to appreciate that they had been saved and seemed to have great affection for their human caretakers.
It was a wonderful experience -- and fascinating to see how having a 33", 150+ lb. dog can change your idea of what a big animal is. Sure the lion's looked big, but some of the smaller females were not THAT much bigger than T! It was also a joy watching the tigers stalk each other the same way Ilka lies in wait for Tovarisch.
But I digress...
At one point, the trainer was in with the lions and had been grooming them. She had in her hand a big tuft of lion fur, like you would pull out of a dog brush. I wanted to feel it and Ben asked the woman if we could have it. I was kind of thrilled about having this lion fur and thought it would make a nice souvenir/relic for me -- sort of a little piece of lion nobility to keep with me. So I stuffed it in my pocket.
When we got home, the dogs immediately started sniffing at the offending pocket. No surprise there. I took out the fur and showed it to them. They sniffed VERY INTENSELY. Still no surprise there. Then, Ilka put her ears back and started visibly shaking with nervousness. She started slinking around the house as if terrified, sniffing everywhere and growling low. It was as if she was convinced she was going to die!
Tovarisch continued to sniff at the fur, eyeing me closely as if for an explanation. When none was forthcoming he too began to sniff around, growling, ears back. Neither one of them would come near the fur and if I brought it towards them, they would bark or growl, slinking backwards, in absolute defense position. After awhile, Ilka got curious again and would come forward to sniff at it, then would dash away. T remained in his favorite corner and refused to come out, even for a treat. Finally, to stop them from freaking out, I put the fur away. That wasn't enough. I then put it inside a sealed plastic baggie and put that baggie inside three more sealed plastic baggies. But they still seemed to smell it. After putting it outside and washing my hands they improved.
This improvement quadrupled when Ben showed up. They greeted him with great excitement and animation, as if they had been concerned that he'd succumbed to whatever animal I'd been so foolish as to mess with. Or possibly they thought that HE'D deal with the terrible monster I'd attracted to our household.
Anyway, this was all highly interesting -- one of those nature-show moments right in your very own living room.
Still, I wonder: what WERE the dogs reacting to? Was it some primeval recognition of a predator far more powerful than they are? Was it just the smell of wild animal? Was it the very strong territorial scent-markers that lions lay down; possibly a cross-species odiferous message to not mess with this animal? Or was it just that they couldn't identify it and in their confusion decided it was dangerous?
Any and all theories taken....
Best, Robyn and her pride
Benjamin G. Levy, ben-levy@westworld.com
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