Basenji love
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wrote on 27 Feb 2009, 00:44 last edited by
Well, yeah…as a former ape keeper who worked with all three great apes (Gorillas, Orangs and Chimps) I can tell you that chimps are feared the most by keepers. That isn't to say that you can't have great, strong, loving relationships with them...but wow, they can do so MUCH damage so quickly when they are angry. And sadly, when they attack they often go for the groin, and the face...makes sense if you want to seriously damage your opponent.
We have an old (but true) joke in the zoo world. If you go to a primate conference, and shake someone's hand, if they are missing a finger (or more) they are probably a chimp keeper ;) In twelve years of working with apes, the only one that hurt me (not badly) was a chimp who raked my hand with her fingernails, just to show me that she could ;)
Andrea…you have the MOST interesting and entertaining stories. :):D
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wrote on 27 Feb 2009, 01:01 last edited by
Andrea…you have the MOST interesting and entertaining stories. :):D
Thanks :) It was a GREAT, and fun and exciting job. I miss it a lot…but I don't miss all the human politics.
Now I am just a boring mom of three ;)
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wrote on 27 Feb 2009, 04:11 last edited by
Andrea, I bet it was fascinating working with the primates! I always wanted one as a child, LOL. But after hearing the 911 call from this attack, I am understanding how dangerous they can be… This is a sad story, this lady... did she have experience working in a zoo or something? What made her think (originally) she could properly care for this animal? I hope her friend makes a recovery, I am sure she is scarred for life. I pray for her that she can be able to have some kind of a decent life in the future.
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wrote on 27 Feb 2009, 14:05 last edited by
Andrea, I bet it was fascinating working with the primates! I always wanted one as a child, LOL. But after hearing the 911 call from this attack, I am understanding how dangerous they can be… This is a sad story, this lady... did she have experience working in a zoo or something? What made her think (originally) she could properly care for this animal? I hope her friend makes a recovery, I am sure she is scarred for life. I pray for her that she can be able to have some kind of a decent life in the future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/garden/26primates.html?_r=1&em
An interesting article the Times did on primates as pets.
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wrote on 27 Feb 2009, 16:24 last edited by
Yep, I definitely think I will stick to Basenji love!!!:rolleyes: I don't think I want to share the bed with a primate anytime soon, LOL!:D:D:D
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wrote on 27 Feb 2009, 16:47 last edited by
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/garden/26primates.html?_r=1&em
An interesting article the Times did on primates as pets.
Wow….I had to stop reading because that was so disturbing. Those people are sooo warped; and those poor primates are paying for it.
I particularly hated the part where the guy who has the baboon said "he holds your hand, and looks into your eyes like he loves you....but, he can't"....OMG! So you keep him in a tiny box of a room watching TV because you care so much about him...yuck....
And they all have stories about their primates savagely attacking them....sounds like a clue that they aren't great pets, huh?
Oh...don't get me started..this is a Basenji group....I will stick to that topic :)
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wrote on 27 Feb 2009, 16:54 last edited by
To me owning a basenji is similar to owning a wild animal in that you have to respect the animal and not expect them to be obedient. Expecting them to be human or make them so is a false assumption.
Because of this you do have to earn their love and respect. That is very rewarding when you gain that.
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wrote on 28 Feb 2009, 04:21 last edited by
Yes basenji?s are wild animals but then so are we. We, unlike basenji?s, are also primates and I for one would not like a human for a pet. They do far worse things than any monkey can. I would not want to try and make basenji?s human any more than I would try to make myself a basenji. We both have our own unique characteristics. I think that in some ways we are very different but in other ways we are very similar. Relationships are always compromises but it is the similarities that draw us together whether human to human or human to animal. That a basenji can remain independent and yet still choose to love us is nothing short of remarkable. Love is the strongest emotion any being can feel, not something to be given lightly. As humans, we can recognize this and we lucky few, that know the love of our ?furbabies?, can only return that love in kind and wonder at how lucky we really are. No wonder that the death of a beloved pet is equated to that of a human family member. Maybe even more so.
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wrote on 28 Feb 2009, 11:58 last edited by
Love is the strongest emotion any being can feel, not something to be given lightly. As humans, we can recognize this and we lucky few, that know the love of our ?furbabies?, can only return that love in kind and wonder at how lucky we really are. No wonder that the death of a beloved pet is equated to that of a human family member. Maybe even more so.
I agree totally. These dogs really become a part of you. One of the best pet experiences I ever had.
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wrote on 1 Mar 2009, 19:03 last edited by
I think Buona said it best…
"I think most of the other people need therapy..
Therapy from the BEST doctors in the world... --> B's"
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