Reading a lion's thought-feeling

[Henri77]

As city dwellers, most of us cannot imagine what it's like to be in the gaze of a hungry predator.

There was a cool movie, "The Ghost and the Darkness" about 2 African lions who killed 130 villagers over a 9 month period (based on true) story. About 2 hunters with the task of locating- hunting them.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116409/


A line in it stuck with me.... "You've never known terror till you're stalked by a Lion".

Some months later, I was at the local zoo, shooting some photos.
And 15 feet behind a glass wall, a standing lion cooly regarded me with his asseying gaze,

In that moment I understood the line. While he weighed if I was a worthy meal.

Despite the glass barrier ,,,, his instincts were unchanged,
My heart shrunk in terror, and I stumbled backwards, at the feeling I got from him.
That I was no more than a tasty prey, if we were not separated by glass.

[sesheta]

I saw that movie, and it upset me that they killed the lions! I am a huge animal lover, and that movie made me point out the same thing I have told people many times over:

As humans, we have taken over the planet, destroyed habitats, polluted the land and the water...pushing animals into smaller and smaller pockets of the world where they can survive. Then people turn around and get upset when wildlife wanders into "our" territory (which was originally the animals' territory, before we took it over...) There is an outcry raised when animals attack, and the first instinct is simply to kill the 'offending' animal.
Don't get me wrong, it is horrible to hear or read about someone getting attacked or killed by an animal....but we also have to take our share of the responsibility.
Just my opinion...

[Henri77]

Well you expressed your feelings beautifully. Thanx.
We rarely see things from the other viewpoint, it's true.

It was the only time I'd picked up an animals "feeling" in that manner, and that was mainly my point. A quick glimpse from lions perspective.