# Video of people walking jaguars and pumas **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042 "2011-02-03T16:18:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/1 "2011-02-03T16:18:23Z")
[I’m not sure this is a good idea, but it sure is cute.](http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/02/02/world/1248069606837/walking-with-a-jaguar.html?scp=1&sq=jaguar&st=cse) I want to go to Bolivia now and have a jaguar or a puma lick my face. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/2 "2011-02-03T17:39:56Z")
OHHHHHHHHHH\>\>\>\> yeah, probably not the BEST idea, but OH!! How I wanna go there! ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/3 "2011-02-03T17:56:49Z")
I read an article about what I assume is the same place, in Outside magazine a while back. It’s definitely come in for a heaping helping of criticism. The author describes what it’s like to have a jaguar assert its dominance by knocking him down, getting on top and then crushing his skull in its jaws (the jaguar stopped before doing any damage). I love big cats, they’re majestic animals and all, but they are not cute widdle kitties scaled up. Even if they were, playing with a really large cat makes you realize how a mouse feels when confronted by a domestic cat. I’ll admire them from a safe distance. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/4 "2011-02-03T19:23:04Z")
Having once been sent to the hospital by a “friendly” lion, I have this to say: idiots. So far lucky idiots, but the from description I get the impression that there’s even less safeguards than the “Walk With Lion Cubs” in Zimbabwe. Someone’s going to get hurt. I hope they don’t blame the cats when it happens. It’s not their fault that their humans watched too much Disney. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/5 "2011-02-03T19:49:54Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > I want to go to Bolivia now and have a jaguar or a puma lick my face. You can rent a belt sander from Home Depot for the same effect. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/6 "2011-02-03T20:53:26Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > I want to go to Bolivia now and have a jaguar or a puma lick my face. Easy. Put on a bikini, rub bacon grease all over yourself, and lie down for some sunbathing. They’ll show up soon enough. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/7 "2011-02-03T21:14:29Z")
Oh hell no. No thank you, no way! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/8 "2011-02-03T21:16:42Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Easy. Put on a bikini, rub bacon grease all over yourself, and lie down for some sunbathing. They’ll show up soon enough. 😛 No, that’s the recipe for attracting _cougars_. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/9 "2011-02-04T00:16:52Z")
[Me and the tiger.](http://www1.webng.com/dragon43/gustiger1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/10 "2011-02-04T05:55:03Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > [I’m not sure this is a good idea, but it sure is cute.](http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/02/02/world/1248069606837/walking-with-a-jaguar.html?scp=1&sq=jaguar&st=cse) I want to go to Bolivia now and have a jaguar or a puma lick my face. No way I would let a big cat teeth come anywhere near me. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/11 "2011-02-04T05:56:49Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Having once been sent to the hospital by a “friendly” lion, Now, you need to give more details… ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/12 "2011-02-04T06:00:42Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > I love big cats, they’re majestic animals and all, but they are not cute widdle kitties scaled up. Well, they basically are, and that’s the problem. Or more accurately, house cats are really not much different from a scaled-_down_ version of a lion. They are vicious predators. The only reason why the house cat doesn’t kill you is because you’re too big. But make no mistake, all of the instincts are still there. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/13 "2011-02-04T10:39:00Z")
Big cats really are very close to domestic cats in their behaviour. But bear in mind, there are an awful lot of cats that will take a swipe at you for little reason. Scaling up an irritated cat by a factor of 20 is a recipe for injuries. Even worse if the cat decides you are a rival, ever seen cats fight? Cats tend to be quite flighty and unpredictable. A lot of that is because we don’t understand their body-langage very well. For example, rolling over onto their back is a submissive gesture. It doesn’t mean “scratch my belly”. That’s why many cats will swipe you if you try, they see it as you exploiting a vulnerable position. Unpredictable behaviour plus a powerful animal is a bad combination. I wouldn’t go as far to say all domesticated big cats are dangerous, but there is a lot of potential for grief there. I like cats and dogs, but they are relationships where it’s essential the human remains the alpha. For example, being around a dog that thinks it can assert it’s dominance is really unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/14 "2011-02-04T11:21:15Z")
“It’s no more dangerous than volunteering in the Sudan.” Sign me up! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/15 "2011-02-04T17:51:49Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > For example, rolling over onto their back is a submissive gesture. It doesn’t mean “scratch my belly”. Actually with one of my cats it does, at least with me. But that’s from a position of trust and habituation - he knows he gets attention paid to him when he does it, just like he knows if he taps at me gently with his paw I think it is cute and will often pet him. I’d be a lot more cautious trying that with a strange cat. I like the line in the video where they mention “no fatalities in nine years.” Wow! Really? No fatalities? That’s great! What about injuries? Oh, wait, nothing was mentioned about injuries. Hmmm… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/16 "2011-02-04T18:50:21Z")
Sure, some learn to like it, but many humans misinterpret this gesture and end up getting scratched. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/17 "2011-02-04T20:18:17Z")
My rival high school (San Mateo) hired a tiger from Marine World once for a rally. It gave one of the football players 80 stitches. A supposedly gentle and well trained and friendly tiger. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/18 "2011-02-06T03:03:48Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Now, you need to give more details… I summed it all up in a thread somewhere… excuse me while I go look for the link. Given the search hamsters, this may take a while. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-people-walking-jaguars-and-pumas/570042/19 "2011-02-06T03:20:19Z")
Okay, [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12531175&postcount=20)’s the story.