Machete vs. Lion

[Robert H]

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080807/UPDATE/80807005

August 7, 2008
ACAPULCO, Mexico — A Mexican woman says she fought a 500-pound lion with a machete near the resort city of Acapulco and scared him away.
Celsa Aleman said she and her 7-year-old niece were riding a donkey Monday along a road when the lion went after the animal’s legs.

The 35-year-old woman said she found the courage to fight the lion because she thought it would attack her niece.

She said she hit the animal with a machete until the beast ran away and Aleman and her niece were unharmed.

The state government said in a statement that the lion had escaped from a private zoo owned by a former local congressman. It said the animal killed two dogs and ate a pig before it was sedated and taken back to the zoo.



Pretty good stuff. The lion didn't want to tangle with the blade. And this was a LION, not a mountain lion or cougar.



Bet it wasn't a fancy machete, either.

 

[siguy]

pretty cool stuff that she was able to beat it off. it says that she struck it...i wonder if she cut it or just hit it with the flats and spine of the blade?

"And this was a LION, not a mountain lion or cougar."
yes-but this lion has been in captivity for who knows how long and could be relatively docile...thought it did kill two dogs and a pig (and attacked her donkey) so maybe he still had a fair amount of fight in him...

 

[shecky]

That's one bad ass señorita!

 

[stabman]

Shows how important mind-set is.

 

[tonym]

pretty cool stuff that she was able to beat it off. it says that she struck it...i wonder if she cut it or just hit it with the flats and spine of the blade?

"And this was a LION, not a mountain lion or cougar."
yes-but this lion has been in captivity QUOTE]

Good point, that's probably why the lion went for the legs. A wild lion would try to swat the legs to trip its pray, and bite down on the throat.

Either way, scary stuff, wild or semi tame, thats a dangerous animal!

Never underestimate a woman's maternal instinct to protect a child, she probably would have tried to fight that lion off with no weapon!

 

[kgd]

Bad ass seniorita who just happened to be carrying a machete. She should be a member of bladeforums!

 

[Watchful]

The poor bastard was just handing out flyers....

 

[jackknife]

pretty cool stuff that she was able to beat it off. it says that she struck it...i wonder if she cut it or just hit it with the flats and spine of the blade?

In my experiance with Mexican women, they don't use the flats. My better half is part Mexican, and she knows what a knife is for. They all do. Ask John Wayne Bobbit about the rest of the night after he beat up his Latin wife.

 

[buckabee]

I think another important point is that the lion was focused on the donkey while the woman attacked him. It would be much more difficult to hit a lion that is attacking yourself, and certainly to keep attacking him.
Nevertheless certainly well and bravely done by that woman.
Another would probably take her niece and run, leaving the donkey behind with the lion.

 

[jackknife]

Has anyone here ever seen that film footage of one of the last lion hunts by the Massai with spears?

It was pretty interesting. They drove the lion till they got it in a circle with them surrounding it, while armed with spears and shields made of cowhide. They slowly closed the circle on the lion while banging thier spears on the shields creating a bunch of noise and confusion for the lion. As the circle closses, it reaches a point where the lion has enough, and he picks a place to charge the circle. The guy at that part of the circle makes the kill.

I can't imagine how big a pair of cajones you have to have to stand there while a charging 500 pound lion is charging to within spear range.

 

[sodak]

Bigger than what I got, I'll tell you that. Even with a high powered rifle, I wouldn't want to do that.

Years ago, the Brits used to dismount their elephants in Africa, and use a double barrelled shotgun/rifle to kill charging lions. Anything else wasn't "sporting", in their eyes. I wouldn't do that either...

 

[boerboel]

That is one brave lady. I use to have a male african lion as a pet. I can assure you if he wanted to kill the lady, he would have. The lion, being around people, did not view her as prey. The lady deserves a some kind of medal for bravery, she kept her wits and reacted. A lot of people would freeze up in a situation like that.

 

[Mack]

Shows how important mind-set is.

I can't stress how correct this statement is.:thumbup: