Trusting A Wild Animal - And Nearly Killed By Him

[Neil Molendyk]

Not just wild animals but domesticated can be as well.

My first DG hunt
A bit long winded but I thought I should share this

About 20 years ago I had a very dramatic and eye opening experience that I would like to share with AH members.
We run a cow calf beef operation and one of the tasks that we do annually in the spring is semen test our herd bulls before breeding season to check their semen for acceptable levels of semen quality and vitality after the winter cold. It can be along swim to the egg and healthy and active sperm are a necessity. We had two bulls to test and I decide to take them into the veterinary clinic to perform the tests there. For the uninitiated, the test requires a prostate massage as well as a physical examination of the sex organs of the bull being tested. The prostate massage involves the insertion of an electronic massager, a probe about 3 inches in diameter and 10-12 long, inserted in the bulls anus, and an electric pulse is applied rhythmically to induce the penis to protrude and then provide a semen sample by ejaculation, which is captured into a test tube to be examined under a microscope. So I decided to haul one bull in at a time, an hour round trip time. Well I hauled one bull in, unloaded him and then returned home to haul the next one in while the vet performed the test on the first bull. Upon arriving with the second bull, the vet informed me that the first bulls test were completed, he passed and it wouldn't take long to complete the test on bull number 2. So I decide to wait on bull 2 to be finished and then haul them both home at once. I had bull 1 loader into the trailer and was closing the divider gate when bull 2 came up the loading alley behind me and entered the trailer before the divider gate got latched. And he wasn't very happy. And then the bull fight was on. The divider gate was smashed as they started fighting in the trailer. while Im still in the trailer. Somehow, and I don't know how, I managed to get out the back of the trailer unscathed. But the bull fight in the trailer continued to the point that their actions pushed the truck and stock trailer away from the loading chute, at which point the loosing bull, bull 2 was out of the trailer and now in the general area of the town that was open to the public. I managed to slam the tailgate door closed on bull 1 but now we had a real problem on our hands. The freed bull decide to head into town, but thankfully with help from local residents we managed to get him away from the general public and persuaded to go into an open field on the outskirts of town. Bull 1 was hauled back home but what about Bull 2. If i tried to approach him, once I got closer than 50 feet, it provoked him into a charge, not a bluff but a threat to kill charge. What to do? I suggested to the vet that I thought the only solution would be to tranquilize him, but how. The vet informed me that he had tranquilizer serum but no way of administering it in an open field. I told him that I had a tranquilizer gun if I could get close enough to the bull to shoot him with it. A local farmer friend came out to the field with his front end loader tractor thinking that he could possibly herd the bull to his cattle herd only a half mile away but the bull was still so mad that he refused to herded and only charger into the front end of the tractor, luckily only hitting the front end loader frame. Plan number two. Because it was mid March, the field that the bull was in was extremely muddy with melting snow. The only way to approach the bull was with the farm tractor. So I got into the front end loader bucket, after the vet pleaded with me to be careful, there was enough serum in the dart that if I accidentally shot myself with it, it would kill me instantly ,was elevated about 8 feet up and with the loaded tranquilizer gun we approached the bull with the intent of hitting him with a tranquiler dart. At about 50 feet separation, the bull charged the front of the tractor and hit the loader frame at full speed, rocking the tractor vilently with me in the bucket. Leaning over the edge of the bucket I shot him in the neck muscle hump successfully and he just turned away and ran away. We waited for the tranquilizer to take affect but after 20 minutes or so, no affect was apparent. So it was decide to try again. Same scenario, same full bore chart into the front of the tractor, another dart hit into the neck of the bull and then he ran back to where he started the charge. Another wait for 20 minuted, no change in the bulls demeanour. One more time, again. Round three, same approach, same charged, another successful darting and the bull retreated to to his starting point. Keep in mind that the bull received 3 doses of tranquilizer serum for a 2500 pound animal each time, 3 times, a true testament of the power of adrenaline. So we decide to wait as we didn't want the bull to die in the field. After about another 40 minutes or so I began to notice that the bull was displaying the characteristics of an inebriated person so I took a lariat out to him, placed it around is neck and made a rope halter out of it and put it on him, as docile as a sleeping old dog. I began leading him to the truck and stock trailer when he collapsed in a heap. we managed to load him into the trailer with the assistance of the front end loader tractor.to haul him home. At home he had recovered enough to unload but for the next three weeks he would charge anyone and everything that came into the corral. He was shipped to market and his breeding days were over.
Incidentally, the bulls semen test passed but he failed miserably on his attitude.

 

[rgsiii]

Not just wild animals but domesticated can be as well.

My first DG hunt
A bit long winded but I thought I should share this

About 20 years ago I had a very dramatic and eye opening experience that I would like to share with AH members.
We run a cow calf beef operation and one of the tasks that we do annually in the spring is semen test our herd

It would have made a sensational YouTube video.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

It would have made a sensational YouTube video.

Unfortunately it was pre smartphone video features, would have been crowded in the frontend loader bucket.

 

[Zambezi]

Two things never cease to amaze me:

1> People keeping wild animals as pets
2> Same people who are surprised when it attacks them.

It happens so often that it should be considered the norm. And then they make excuses for why Fluffy attacked them and it wasn't really Fluffy's fault. Well DUH dumbass it a wild animal so of course it's not its fault.

Like the unfortunate guy in the OP, his closing line was Fluffy didn't attack me a warthog did. Sorry Einstein, just because you gave it a name didn't mean it was no longer a warthog. In fact you made it infinitely more dangerous by trying to domesticate it, habituate it and make it lose it's natural fear of man and instinctive behaviour.

I know / have known quite a number of people who have had wild animals as pets and I can't think of one where the animal has not bitten or gored someone.

I may be an ass but sympathy level = 0

 

[schwerpunkt88]

I shudder when I see people posting pictures of babies and dogs/cats in vulnerable scenarios. Just inviting bad things to happen to the baby and ultimately to the animal as well.

 

[Pilgrim]

The meanest critter I remember from my childhood, and I was raised on a farm, was a psychotic rooster! My mom’s parents were the owner of that thing. It would attack anyone, and when I was about 4 years old, if that, the stupid thing attacked me when I was walking from the car to my grandparents house. For no reason whatsoever.
My grandfather finally killed it after that.

I've had plenty of livestock and roosters have been the most vicious. I have one now that you don't turn your back on, the only reason he's still alive is he keeps the quarrels between hens at bay, and is very protective of his hens. Another one was a Tom turkey. You wouldn't believe the damage birds can do with talons and flapping wings.

 

[Newboomer]

I've had plenty of livestock and roosters have been the most vicious. I have one now that you don't turn your back on, the only reason he's still alive is he keeps the quarrels between hens at bay, and is very protective of his hens. Another one was a Tom turkey. You wouldn't believe the damage birds can do with talons and flapping wings.

Dogs have been "domesticated" for thousands of years and they still attack quite frequently. They still have that wild instinct.

 

[cwpayton]

Yes indeed Newboomer, so now Im really gonna stir the pot, how many of you hunters think pit bulls should be banned from ownership ,seeing all the carnage they have caused. ok go for it!!!

 

[Trophyhunter01]

Horses and cows are not totally trustworthy in my opinion as they seem to seek an opportunity to inflict their will on you. Any animal wild or semi tamed wild animal is just asking for a new scar.

 

[cwpayton]

Horses and cows are not totally trustworthy in my opinion as they seem to seek an opportunity to inflict their will on you. Any animal wild or semi tamed wild animal is just asking for a new scar.

Said well ,but they are not generally considered house pets, although I did have a horse I could lead into the house one time, as dogs are, and frequently left alone with children.

 

[Newboomer]

Yes indeed Newboomer, so now Im really gonna stir the pot, how many of you hunters think pit bulls should be banned from ownership ,seeing all the carnage they have caused. ok go for it!!!

Two sides to that one. I have been attacked by one before. My daughter had that would come after me or anyone not family every chance he got. Not any damage but scared the hell out of me. He'd make a flying leap for my face. Mutt was psychotic and they put him down,

On the other hand, my daughter has one now who is the sweetest little guy you could find. My great grandkids (3 years old) play with him and maul him and when he gets enough he goes to his bed and flops. He tries to be a lapdog but he's too big. His biggest problem is he will beat you death with his tail or lick you to death. He goes inside out to get some loving whenever I visit.

I think pits have a wrong reputation. I don't think it is the dog as much as it is the owners. Like anything, it's how they are raised and trained. They can be what owners want them to be.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Domestic animals can't be trusted either. I had a couple neighbors killed by bulls. First was a 5 year old boy went under a fence into a pasture with a Jersey bull. Tragic.

Second was a guy in his 30's. Construction worker who would go to help on his parents farm after work. Right in front of family a Holstein bull bashed him into a gate in a freestall barn. They got the bull off with pitchforks. The victim got up and said "that is going to hurt in the morning" and fell over dead.

My own mother was attacked by an Angus bull that had her down smashing her into the dirt. Us kids were in school and dad was in the field. Our old German Shepherd who had hip dysplasia came to the rescue and went all out attacking that bull and got it off her. She suffered cracked ribs. Ol Skip got steak for his supper. That bull got turned into baloney.

Yes indeed Newboomer, so now Im really gonna stir the pot, how many of you hunters think pit bulls should be banned from ownership ,seeing all the carnage they have caused. ok go for it!!!

The would depend on what you have the dog for and the breed. Many dogs just do what they were bred to do. I once has a neighbor that bred pit bulls. He used them for hunting feral hogs in California. He understood that the breed tended to be aggressive and were not inherently safe. As the puppies grew he watched them. If they failed to be aggressive with the pigs, or if they showed any aggression towards humans he would, as he put it, "take them for a walk in the hills and leave a bone pile."

Pit bulls are not the only breed that can be dangerous. One night a buddy and I were having a cigar on my back deck. A huge black animal came around the corner of my house. It was a Great Dane dragging his small woman owner at the end of his leash. Once they got onto the deck, the dog seemed calm and I invited the woman to sit. All was fine for a few minutes. The dog made his way to the side of my chair, then made an unprovoked attack. I needed 11 stiches in my face. He weighed 185 pounds and I couldn't hold him back with one arm. It was a good thing that my buddy was there to grab the leash or the damage would have been much worse.

Best not to trust any animal, but as I write this my year old Labrador is curled up on my lap. This is the third one we've had and I don't think there is anything you can do to make a lab into a vicious animal. Still, we watch them around the grandkids. Then again, I really don't trust people I don't know well either. I spent too many years dealing with felons.

 

[freefall]

I don't want to stir the pit-bull pot, but I will (mis)quote Jeff Cooper.
"We can't say with certainty that pit-bulls are more prone to attack people than any other breed when properly trained, the issue is the amount of damage when they do. A dogs function is to alert it's owner to the presence of an intruder so the owner can deal with it. It is not the business of the dog to function as a claymore mine."

 

[Siennacoyote]

I've had plenty of livestock and roosters have been the most vicious. I have one now that you don't turn your back on, the only reason he's still alive is he keeps the quarrels between hens at bay, and is very protective of his hens. Another one was a Tom turkey. You wouldn't believe the damage birds can do with talons and flapping wings.

I got flogged by a goose you don’t realize what the wings can do until you take a few to the face

 

[Pilgrim]

When it comes to dogs, every time I've seen somebody get bit it was by a dog that "loves kids" or "wouldn't hurt a fly" or is a "good dog" or any other assortment of supposed confidence instilling statements about their dog. When I hear those kinds of things from the dog's owner, all I can think about is how naive they are about their pet. I know most dog's wouldn't bite, but a dog owner should realize that every dog has a tipping point and should never be comfortable believing their dog wouldn't bite. We haven't even breached the subject of potential liability an owner might face if their dog bites somebody.

 

[fourfive8]

I trust any animal only as far as my knowledge of that animal's behavior allows me. That includes a known individual animal or a breed or a species tendency to be unpredictable. Of course the level of caution is commensurate with the potential of real danger. A rooster attacking my leg in reality poses only so much danger A mad cow with a similar mindset is infinitely more dangerous.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I don't want to stir the pit-bull pot, but I will (mis)quote Jeff Cooper.
"We can't say with certainty that pit-bulls are more prone to attack people than any other breed when properly trained, the issue is the amount of damage when they do. A dogs function is to alert it's owner to the presence of an intruder so the owner can deal with it. It is not the business of the dog to function as a claymore mine."

If that were true, Labradors, being the most popular dog breed in the United States, would be the breed most often involved in dog bite incidents. They aren't. Training only goes so far. Those breeds that were bred for aggressive traits are more likely to bite, or even kill, a human being.

 

[freefall]

I spent the last 22 years of my working life doing service work in and out of peoples houses. I got bit a few times by small dogs, menaced a couple times by BIG dogs, I carried a small bear spray at all times.

 

[pigsticker]

If that were true, Labradors, being the most popular dog breed in the United States, would be the breed most often involved in dog bite incidents. They aren't. Training only goes so far. Those breeds that were bred for aggressive traits are more likely to bite, or even kill, a human being.

Temperament and disposition are a known and accepted trait between dog breeds. Some are far better and some much worse than others.

 

[Huntsmans Bane]

Domesticated animals have been engineered by man to be dependent upon us. They have been altered so much that they no longer resemble or behave like their wild ancestors. However, there’s not a domestic critter you can name that hasn’t at one time or another tried to take a chunk out of, or stomp on, it’s owner. Wild animals aren’t even close to being trustworthy. I wish that young man a full recovery. As for the Warthog, it’s barbecue time!

He was acting a fool with the hog and expecting things to be peace and peachy, he’s sure lucky to be alive.