Endeavour: March 2008 Archives

In the wake of Papa’s savage attack at the paws and fangs of a domestic cat this weekend, we thought it would be apt to salute unyielding courage and steadfast pluck in the animal kingdom. Among us humans, provocation can be dealt with in a number of ways: fronting up, backing down, seeking help, outwitting, outrunning, outfighting, outtalking... 

But for animals, the list of reactions isn’t quite as long: you either fight, or you run. So when our man tried to break up an epic scuffle between terrier and domestic mog, the petrified feline latched on to his interfering limb and went to town with both claw and tooth. What mettle! What spirit! What spunk! Not content with battling a dog, the traumatised cat chose to chew on the arm and hand of a meat eating representative from the food chain’s uppermost echelon: Papa. 

So a nod of the cap to those beasts that see a threat and react with interest: dive-bombing owls targeting early-bird joggers, wildebeest herds turning on lioness hunters, cougars defending their cubs from fearsome brown bears. There is a lot to be learnt from the determined underdog that rises up against its aggressor and sends him back from whence he came. 

The finest example of animal determination must be this video, dubbed the greatest ever wildlife sequence to be caught on film. Enjoy.