[HN Gopher] Carl Akeley's fight to the death with a leopard (1923)
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Carl Akeley's fight to the death with a leopard (1923)
Author : gofiggy
Score : 26 points
Date : 2022-02-18 20:13 UTC (2 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (stuffnobodycaresabout.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (stuffnobodycaresabout.com)
| fasdhaflkhj wrote:
| I'm confused.
|
| > That done, the antiseptic was pumped into every one of the
| innumerable tooth wounds until my arm was so full of the liquid
| that an injection in one drove it out of another
|
| Isn't antiseptic applied topically not systemically, as they seem
| to be doing here by injection, and didn't antibiotics get
| developed later than this? I can't understand what they were
| injecting him with. Can anyone fill in my gaps, please.
| ziggus wrote:
| Antiseptics and antibiotics are both classes of antibacterials,
| but yes, antiseptics can be delivered intravenously. At that
| time, they may have used something like iodine, penicillin or
| even carbolic acid.
| wahern wrote:
| Antiseptic would just mean something like alcohol or iodine.
| Antiseptics became commonplace before antibiotics were
| discovered. (IOW, widespread acceptance of the germ theory of
| disease preceded discovery of antibiotics.)
|
| I assume "injection" here is referring to something like a bulb
| syringe or pipette, neither of which pierce the skin but simply
| a way to extract and apply a liquid, e.g. antiseptic solution.
| Because presumably the tooth wounds were so deep, inserting the
| tip of the syringe into the open wound when applying could be
| described as injecting, especially in more florid prose.
| sgt101 wrote:
| It was a very small one; Leopards can be 180lbs or more.
|
| I reckon if it was a big one he'd not be remembered... because he
| would have got eaten.
| LiquidPolymer wrote:
| Having been around wild leopards in Africa, and worked around
| nearly all the big cats - leopards scare me the most. A tiger or
| lion can be confused by unexpected behavior which can delay or
| slow an attack. Leopards are the most single-minded predator I've
| ever seen in action and the only equivalent I can think of is a
| great white shark. Leopards are relentless, ferocious and deadly.
|
| I suspect Mr. Ackley's encounter was with a young or sick
| leopard, or perhaps the tale is exaggerated. An experienced adult
| would have dispatched with him in seconds.
| technothrasher wrote:
| I've very much enjoyed watching lions and cheetahs do their
| thing in Africa, but only the leopards fill me with awe
| whenever I see them. They are truly magnificent and fascinating
| creatures. Here's my favorite shot I took of a gorgeous young
| lady just outside the Sabi Sands game reserve in South Africa:
| http://www.skeptical.org/leopardrock.jpg
| jmnicolas wrote:
| Superb photo! Can you tell it's a lady from this photo or you
| had a glimpse of her from behind?
| technothrasher wrote:
| No, she was well known to the guides I was with, and we'd
| been following her for a while before she got up on that
| termite mound. I was lucky to get that shot, as she was
| being harassed by a hyena who didn't want her around, and
| she only sat down there for about a minute.
| colordrops wrote:
| He did mention that he shot it twice before it reached him.
| areoform wrote:
| I have vacillated on whether or not I should write this comment.
| I am writing this because most of the comments are focused on the
| man's prose and prowess.
|
| I am on the leopard's side here. Leopards, and most members of
| the Felidae (cat) family, are sentient, and we hunted some
| members of this family to near extinction because of accounts
| like these. Accounts that glorified the "adventure" of going into
| their habitats, killing their prey, and then shooting them with
| gun powder.
|
| This man wasn't a scientist. He was a thrill seeker. One who
| killed sentient beings for amusement and then donated the
| carcasses to a museum.
|
| If he was a scientist, quietly observing the fauna, and taking
| notes, I would have had no objections to him killing the leopard
| in self defense. Instead, he encroached on a sentient being's
| habitat + territory with hostile intentions. And was attacked for
| it. I do not wish him harm, but I feel more for the leopard than
| I do for him.
|
| -
|
| If you doubt that these are animals capable of joy, I'd suggest
| watching this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWuFoPguAlE
|
| Of course, they're still wild animals and you should stay away,
| but they are sentient and should be treated with care.
| jjtheblunt wrote:
| I have a conjecture I can not prove, built up over decades: we
| are all wild animals, in personally varying degrees, regardless
| of species (for those normally labelled as such).
|
| One example of this is people living with pet tigers and lions,
| who behave exactly like domestic sized felines, but of course
| are bigger than humans so can actually hurt you when wrestling
| in play, etc. . People kill other people out of fear, a wild
| animal sort of thing itself.
|
| Anyway, I just have not thought of a counterexample to the
| assertion that wild animals extend into the realm of things
| called domestic.
| technothrasher wrote:
| Victorian hunters in Africa were pretty brutal. But to be fair
| to Akeley, he actually had a change of heart near the end of
| his life after he moved further north to hunt gorillas, and was
| instrumental to creating Africa's first national park, in the
| DRC, to preserve and protect the gorillas.
| jmnicolas wrote:
| The sentient leopard wouldn't have such pity for you, you're
| just a meal.
|
| While I don't condone free kills either, let's not idealize
| animals.
|
| I wish I could find the article that dispelled myths about
| animals (where you among other things learn that dolphins and
| sea otters have rapists amongst their ranks).
| mauvehaus wrote:
| Sure, but as the species that claims greater intelligence,
| surely the onus is on the humans to not put themselves into a
| situation where they become a meal. Blindly shooting at an
| unknown target doesn't exactly suggest taking this
| responsibility seriously. I'd have been a-ok with the leopard
| making a meal of him for his foolishness.
|
| If we take it as a given that animals have no morality, or at
| least different morality than our own, surely it's incumbent
| upon us to act accordingly among them.
|
| Incidentally: while backpacking on Isle Royale, which has a
| robust wolf/moose ecosystem I asked a ranger why the wolves
| didn't just eat the plentiful, slow, weak humans instead of
| the moose. The ranger said humans aren't tasty to wolves.
| [deleted]
| d_silin wrote:
| "Her intention was to sink her teeth into my throat and with this
| grip and her forepaws hang to me while with her hind claws she
| dug out my stomach, for this pleasant practice is the way of
| leopard".
| oxfeed65261 wrote:
| It is fun to watch a fuzzy little kitten do exactly this when
| trying to savagely disembowel a stuffed animal.
| leecommamichael wrote:
| He shoved his arm down it's throat and bucked it's ribs in with
| his knees. Sick.
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