Lions Riding Horses Stunt Sickens Me
February 8, 2008
I came across a news item this morning that just sickened me: people training lions and tigers to ride on horses in China. It’s supposedly entertainment.
The article lead reads “the huge male lion clings on to the terrified horse – but this big cat is not about to devour his prey.” Right. Please tell me how they are guaranteeing that one? Just because it didn’t have an equine breakfast this time doesn’t mean the horse is off the hook for lunch and dinner. It’s a carnivore, for goodness sakes. Every little cell in it’s body is wired to eat that horse, not to ride it. And every cell in that horse’s body is wired to flee its predator, not to carry it on its back. Why on earth would people think to submit these animals to such torture? I mean, how much entertainment value is there really in defying nature in such an inhumane way?
I don’t know which sickens me more: the people who do this to animals or the ones who think it’s funny. After all, if there wasn’t a demand for this freak show, nobody would bother performing it.
The London news source carrying the story is running a poll asking if readers think this stunt should be banned. The two options read…
- Yes. It’s the sickest stunt I’ve ever seen. Ban it now. (86%)
- No, these are trained animals and are not suffering. (14%)
Those 14% who said the animals are trained and aren’t suffering definitely didn’t look at that picture too closely. I would think it would be obvious to even a non-horse person that the horse is scared out of his wits. Not suffering? Hmph.
It’s one thing to ride horses or use them for driving. They are wired for these activities. When done right, with utmost concern for the horse, training a horse to work with a human is a perfectly natural activity. Why must people insist on doing such unnatural and cruel things to animals, just for another laugh?
There are so many ways to have good clean fun without doing it at the expense of other living creatures. For instance, watch one of my favorite Youtube videos of all time. Hilarious, and not in the least bit hurtful to anyone (beware: some mild language).
Posted in Horse News
February 8th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Yikes…I’ve never even heard of that! Scary! Poor animals…horses and big cats…quite an unnatural situation for both species!
And…TAG - you’re it!
February 8th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Has the world gone insane that we need to take a poll on this?!
I feel a rant coming on !
What is the IQ of people that dream up these outrageous ideas?!
February 9th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I found this on another blog - just a different angle of the picture. This lion looks absolutely mahosive on this poor horse!
http://www.scrizzle.com/2008/02/07/a-lion-riding-a-horse-wtfs-the-world-come-to
February 9th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Yikes! China, wouldn’t you know it. That is where they have those stallion fights each year for sport. I posted about it on my blog sometime last year. I guess that a country that does not honor human rights sure isn’t going to have any idea of rights for animals. I could rant on this subject for days………….
Not to mention that there will always be those people who just do not get it! That is another big rant of mine!
February 9th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I’ve got to agree with MiKael on this one. China I might have known. They couldn’t care less that they are poisoning the toys for our children. Food for our dogs and who knows what else. How can they be made to care for animals when they care next to nothing for human beings. My only hope would be that this lion jumps off this horse and devours the jackass that thought up this stunt and they can throw in a few people in the audience who think this is funny for dessert!
February 10th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
of course they are doing this in china. from the people who brought us modern slavery, human organ trafficking and “skinning-live-dogs-for-fur” trade:
http://www.furisdead.com/feat/ChineseFurFarms/
boycott china.
February 11th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Rising Rainbow and Grey Horse Matters. Yes, it would be a good thing if the lion ate the jackass who thought this up. But obviously, there are too many jackasses for only one lion.
I can’t go to the other links. Just telling me what they say is enough to make me sick.
All of us can look at the horse’s face and tell what the horse is thinking. Somehow, a large part of society doesn’t have that ability to connect with animals. I wonder if that’s a nature or nurture thing?
February 11th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Hi all. I’m glad (but not surprised) to see that I’m not the only one who feels so strongly about this. While I believe that horses are animals created to be domesticated including riding and pulling, I don’t think that gives us any right to treat them so cruelly. PETA gets all worked up about using horses for pulling carts … maybe they should focus on things like this that truly are detrimental to the animals.