Well, that particular panther happend to be the most agresive one at the center, completely by nature, I think. Either that or by years of abuse from the circus she grew up. She was send to us because she had attacked a stage girl during the act, which I can't remember if she died or not. During transport, they put her in the back of a truck, without sadating her and by the time they got there the entire interiour of the truck was shred to pieces.
But ay, to the story of my arm almost being torn off: I had been warned that she was rahter agresive, and not pettable like many of the tigers I could pet. So I was already extra carefull when working in the cages next to hers, so that I wouldn't be in her reach. The holes in the fence were big enough to put her paw trough, so then she would have been able to grab me. When I was almost done, I had to poor some water in the cat's baskets with a (thing you water the plants with, can't think of what it's called >.<). But I was stupid enough to actualy stick the tip of it trough the bars, and before I knew it she had her tooth dug into it, and gave it a firm pull, slamming me right into the other side of the bars. Then she lunged a claw at me, which I just managed to avoid, otherwise I prolly would have been a lot worse off. Those animals can inflict serious damage, even when they grab you from behind a fence. So yea. I ended up in a tug-o-war with her to get the thing back from her grasp, and eventualy it actualy broke in half!
. So I was completely exausted, as she seemed to just have a good time. I've never been that exausted in my life, I was about to pass out! Never play tug-o-war with a Panther!
. Me and the guys I'm planning this with are actualy planning on training tigers and lions once we have cubs, as we can't train already adult animals. So who knows what will happen. Anything is possible I guess, although I have no intention of making it some comercial zoo/circus thing. I'm merely doing it because I want to dedicate my life to these awsome creatures.
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