Zoo's Bizarre 'Escaped Lion Drill' Is Unintentionally Hilarious, And The Actual Lions Are Not Impressed
Working at a zoo is bound to be interesting.
You're not just working with animals all day, but you also have to know what to do in the worst-case scenario, such as a lion escaping.
How would you know how to handle that? It's not like they'd just run a drill with a man dressed in a lion costume, right?
A video has gone viral showing an escaped lion exercise, complete with a man dressed in a lion costume.
愛媛県立とべ動物園でライオン1頭が脱走したと想定した対策訓練が行われました。オリジナル版は→https://t.co/H2rUiIyIcF https://t.co/fppjleWk8i— 毎日新聞映像グループ (@毎日新聞映像グループ) 1561194479.0
On Saturday, the Tobe Zoo in the Ehime prefecture in Japan ran a drill for their employees about what to do if a lion should escape. One employee dressed in a lion costume prowled around the park, as others took precautionary measures.
They escorted guests to safety and put a net barricade around the "animal". Then they drove up in a van and shot the lion with a fake tranquilizer.
Finally, a group of workers wrapped the escaped lion in a net and cart him off.
Almost any still from this video is a work of art.
昨晩アップの「ライオン脱走訓練@とべ動物園」が国内外で拡散中。試しに4コママンガ風にまとめてみました。やはり「訓練を見つめるホンモノ」が効いています。オリジナル版は→https://t.co/OQtDILPAq7 https://t.co/eNrKkX1SXV— 毎日新聞映像グループ (@毎日新聞映像グループ) 1561269950.0
First, there's the ferocious lion...
@eizo_desk
...then the lion being corralled by the net...
@eizo_desk
...followed by "poke the lion from the van."
@eizo_desk
But perhaps the best shot is of these 100% unimpressed lionesses.
@eizo_desk
The video was shared by Mainichi, a Japanese news site. From there, the video was shared elsewhere online, becoming a sensation.
The viral video grew in popularity, likely from how funny it is to see a man dressed in a lion costume performing the role of escaped lion.
The fact the costume looks so happy only adds to the humor.
Tobe Zoo in Aichi conducted a lion escape drill today. Note the expression on the actual lions faces. https://t.co/azuJYQhLCw— Spoon & Tamago (@Spoon & Tamago) 1561209237.0
Despite the work of the zoo employees and the necessary nature of these drills, the fake lion didn't get all the attention. Instead, two real lions watching from the background ended up with internet fame.
Around the time the van pulls up to tranquilize the lion actor, two actual lions take interest and watch the proceedings. They don't look terribly impressed with how easily their representation goes down.
Obviously, those two would have done a much better job.
@barefoot_cas @angiebaermn @Johnny_suputama "My man would put up a fight before getting caught. This is insulting!"— JackCarter99 (@JackCarter99) 1561228786.0
@Johnny_suputama Actual lions:”Yeah, that will work.”— Ron Greenberg (@Ron Greenberg) 1561216967.0
@Johnny_suputama Those lions were like https://t.co/0VlcPQHRmD— Rowan Crook (@Rowan Crook) 1561231464.0
@loweliferae @Johnny_suputama https://t.co/yFHBM2MKeE— xarophti (@xarophti) 1561235958.0
Drills like these are usually performed for the employees, with some representation of an escaped animal providing a challenge. One commenter mentioned a unique instance of his zoo catching an escaped "rhino"
@Johnny_suputama I worked in a zoo and can confirm they do these drills like this 😂 one time they did a rhino drill… https://t.co/FNZv3FXzfu— scwab (@scwab) 1561212429.0
The Tobe Zoo often performs these drills every year, but this was the first time they decided to hold one with guests present in the park. It's a great way to entertain, as well as show the effort workers put in to making the park safe.
It certainly helps that it was hilarious to watch.
@Johnny_suputama I don’t know what funnier, the man falling on the ground and pretending to be hurt or the lions watching 😂😂— Mercy (@Mercy) 1561219702.0
@thekarki @Johnny_suputama This is 100% the unpaid zoo intern 😄— B̸̗̗̤̩̱̟͈̜̔̊ľ̴̡̢̰̙̹͇̰̙̻͋͑͛̋̈́͛̚͝͝ủ̷̙͙eNine (@B̸̗̗̤̩̱̟͈̜̔̊ľ̴̡̢̰̙̹͇̰̙̻͋͑͛̋̈́͛̚͝͝ủ̷̙͙eNine) 1561223843.0
@Johnny_suputama I am giggling uncontrollably and on the verge of crying this is so funny.— FGvW is not a "Rich Fuck" you can manipulate (@FGvW is not a "Rich Fuck" you can manipulate) 1561227853.0
@Johnny_suputama @SwissWebMiss *shows up 15 minutes late for shift* *coworkers holding the head of a lion furry sui… https://t.co/7IsdPph4Si— Wilson -🇨🇭Politic & Web (@Wilson -🇨🇭Politic & Web) 1561240132.0
Back in 2016, a similar incident was reported on, but became less viral. The Ueno Zoo in Tokyo had their yearly drill with an employee dressed as a zebra.
The zoo employee, Yumi Tamura, told reporters why they picked a zebra over other animals for their test that year.
"The zebra is an animal that easily panics. I myself felt panicky when acting it out."
As much as we laugh at these videos, it's important we know that there are plans in place should an animal get loose.
Or at the very least, they have things handled if sports mascots decide to turn against humanity.
Or a furry convention gets out of hand.
The antics caught on video look like something out of the Dreamworks movie franchise Madagascar. You can get all three films in one set here to enjoy another lion taking over a zoo, a safari and a circus on his way back to the zoo.
Frisky Lioness Pulls Out All The Stops Trying To Get The Attention Of Oblivious Male—And She's Truly All Of Us
Both in human society and the animal kingdom, females often have to express their interest with all the subtlety of a steamroller to make their intentions clear to oblivious males. No one understands the struggle better than the lioness in this viral video, who goes far out of her way to try and attract a nearby male lion's attention to no avail.
YouTube
Twitter could relate far more than they'd like:
@MailOnline Loool me on my crush in the club— IV (@IV) 1536613013.0
@MailOnline We've all been there..— Dave (@Dave) 1536606094.0
Boy...he must be really pissed off at her.....she's really trying tho...😊 https://t.co/Hb7RFqexQ9 https://t.co/Hb7RFqexQ9— Shanti Singh (@Shanti Singh) 1536629195.0
@MailOnline I think alot of females have this issues!— lianne young CAC, CAT (@lianne young CAC, CAT) 1536606981.0
Many recognized the male lion's gaze from many football games on the couch...
When you’re just trying to watch the game #ignoranceisbliss https://t.co/rg8BkTEcjG— bailey bird (@bailey bird) 1536628460.0
Human females do the same thing the female lion doing ...he look like he trying to watch the game. 🤷🏾♂️😂 https://t.co/9VyiZkcS0L— Terrance L. Bankston (@Terrance L. Bankston) 1536733336.0
Consent is super important, as one Twitter user reminded us in a raunchily frank way.
When she's horny but can't say it 🤣🤣🤣 Dude be like, ain't gon' assume consent, you gotta say it bitch. Oh my hoen… https://t.co/gKZInFHQj2— LadyG (@LadyG) 1536751138.0
YouTube commenters also had a field day with the video:
Despite the lioness's best efforts, however, the male lion is eventually forced to simply step over her and move away.
Don't worry, lioness—we've all been there. We've all, very sadly, been there.
@MailOnline Typical male.— Carol Rosenberg-Fox/Belle AmbassacattoIsrael 🇮🇱 (@Carol Rosenberg-Fox/Belle AmbassacattoIsrael 🇮🇱) 1536606655.0
@MailOnline Just like humans!— boringfileclerk (@boringfileclerk) 1536606101.0
H/T - Daily Mail, YouTube
Massive Lion Gives Tourists A Shock When He Climbs Right Into Their Safari Vehicle 😮🦁
Why do safari goers get to ride in a comfortable, shady cart while lions, the real stars of any foray into the African savannah, have to lay under the hot sun?
That's the question this lion must have been asking himself before he caused a group of tourists to see their lives pass before their eyes.
The video was captured at Taigan Safari Park in Vilnohirsk, Crimea, owned by Oleg Zubkov, who is known to many as the "lion whisperer." According to The Daily Mail, "Zubkov is well-known for taming big cats and letting tourists get close to the wild animals."
In the video, the lion (whose name happens to be Filya) climbs into an open-air cart and is seen cuddling and licking several passengers, some of whom laugh and take selfies while others flee.
Twitter was equal parts delighted and terrified:
Though Filya is undeniably adorable in this clip, the event captured on video took place just eight weeks after another woman, Olga Solomina, was mauled by a different lion, named Vitya, at the same park.
Solomina's story does raise some questions about safety at Taigan Safari Park:
[The lion] bit through my right arm and used it to drag me - it like a puppet.
Maybe the more cautious crowd has a point.
Most of us will never be confronted with an up-close-and-personal lion-based choice like these passengers were, and that's probably for the best. A wrong choice next to a lion might be the last choice you ever make.
H/T - CBS News, Daily Mail, Twitter
Hey #NoSleep crew - this article is about to make you feel kind of personally attacked and/or so very seen. My mom used to tell me all the time that she couldn't sleep because bedtime was when her brain would spit out a million vivid scenarios of things going terribly wrong with her kids. Not all of us are Team No Sleep because of anxiety, though. Some of us get extra creative at bedtime, are plagued by vivid Thundercat related nightmares (that happens to people other than me, right?), or can't stop laughing at that Vine from a few years ago. Then there are the night-time cringers...
One reddit user asked:
What memory do you think about when you're trying to sleep and cringe at?
And these guys... these are a special sort of insomniac. The responses had me cracking up, cringing, and cackling. Here are some of the ones that hit me hardest. Some entries have been edited for content or clarity. Brace for all of this impending cringe, it's great!
H/T: Reddit