Page 681 - Captivity News Today

Theres the issue of whether its safe. usually children who are learning about the animals, so that has a lot of pashtsrents afraid. just whether its right to keep an animal like that in captivity. >> theres a very interesting and loaded question and its really, its how you look at the answer and i believe that legitimate organizations that are recognized by the aza, the official organization for zoos and quaurms, places like the bronx zoo or the los angeles zoo, these places are often the only w...

Exists in the wild. >> they were killed off in the wild in about the 1920s so all the ones you see are in captivity. >> reporter: as for the victim, dianna hanson, its not clear how she died, but her father says big cats were her passion, writing we will miss you so much, but i know that you will be happy. for now, you truly are in the eternal cat haven. and, john, i think what strikes you in that statement is the father, who also happens to be a lawyer, doesnt seem to have a trace of bitterness...

Proprietary professional and run their protocol strictly. it looked like we were having a lot of fun, however, during that shoot, there were many people outside of the cage. if you can see in the video, the door was open, and i was very close in proximity of that along with another area that i would have been protected. so there were a lot of protocol and things that were going on behind the scenes, even though it looks like a very fun video. >> let me bring in jack hanna now. jack, obviously, t...

Tigers and leopards. it describes itself as an innovative park, dedicated to the preservation of wild cats. 5-year-old couscous came to the sanctuary as a cub. the founder dale anderson said this species of lion no longer exists in the wild. >> the north africans were killed off in the wild about the 1920s, so all the ones you see are in captivity. >> reporter: as for diana hanson its not clear how she died but her father says big cats were her passion writing "we will miss you so much but i kno...

Mane to go. hes about 500 pounds. the north africans were killed off in the wild in about the 1920s so all the ones you see are in captivity. >> so dale, how much food does he eat a day? >> about eight pounds a day. ever grab a lion by the fatail? >> just today. >> i believe he was about 350 pounds. obviously, that was a pretty happy bit of video footage there of an apparently normal lion who looked to be in a normal habitat, all beit in captivity. in terms of the intern, would you have expected...

The footage. this is you interacting with the lion that killed this young intern today. >> we are going over to the african lions. >> this is cousy and he is a barbary lion. he is 2 to 3 in november. his mane takes four year to come in. he is about 500 pounds. the north africans were killed off in the wild in the 1920s. all of the ones that you see are in captivity. >> how much food does he eat? >> always red meat and chicken. do you have a lion by the tail? >> just today. >> i believe he was 35...

Lost his arm. i know what these animals can do. so this is a wild animal. the question. >> >>: an would an intern be in there by herself? >> the lion was shot and killed per our safety protocols. no real detail there. tell me about lions in captivity generally, jack. would they be aggressive if they

Yes, i do. we have two people with two different collars. a cheetah is a wildcat, but its also not a very powerful cat. we try to educate people. >> when you brought the cheetah onto my set, i remember, it was a fully grown cheetah. the was extremely powerful. and i was quite shocked actually to be that close up to a cat that size. first time i had been in such proximity. i could sense real raw power, and that wasnt a lion. it only makes me imagine what a lion would feel like in close proximity....

No real detail there. tell me about lions in captivity generally, jack. would they be aggressive if they felt someone was including in their space? >> end of story, they are wild animals. and we have great sanctuaries. we need sanctuaries and all of that type of thing. a lion is called a king of beasts. this is a male lion. in this situation again, i try to read everything i can read

These creatures, if you look at your domestic cat, you can see those natural, innate abilities to be a hunter. when take that to a level of a tiger or lion, thats timed by many, many thousands when it comes to predatory ability and strength. this creature will always be wild. it is the core of what they are and because of that you can never forget what they possess, which is remarkable predatory ability, the skills they can use to dispatch a gazelle or other wild animal in africa can sometimes b...