Doofus Of The Day #643

Today's award goes to an idiot in New York.

A 25-year-old man was charged with trespassing for jumping out of a monorail car into the Bronx Zoo's tiger den because he wanted "to be one" with the animal, police said Saturday.

David Villalobos, who is hospitalized in stable condition, said "his leap was definitely not a suicide attempt, but a desire to be one with the tiger," according to Paul Browne, the NYPD's chief spokesman.

Villalobos was riding on the zoo's Wild Asia monorail around 3 p.m. Friday when he jumped out of the rail car, "clearing the exhibit's perimeter fence" and landing in the den, according to Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny.

There's more at the link.

Well, he almost was one with the animal - in its alimentary canal!  Reminds me of Timothy Treadwell, the late and unlamented idiot who killed himself and his girlfriend by getting rather too cosy with Alaskan brown bears.

In life Treadwell had boasted that it would be an honor "to end up in bear scat." It's likely he got honored a bit more than he bargained for, though. Saying he was mauled to death barely captures the full flavor of the assault. When a bush pilot arriving to pick up Treadwell sighted his flattened tent and investigated, an old boar bear was perching on his partially buried remains. Treadwell had been largely eaten. Along with his body parts were those of his 37-year-old girlfriend.

Mr. Villalobos almost got Treadwelled good and proper!  It's almost a pity he wasn't . . . it might have served as an object lesson to other idiots with a similar attitude to dangerous predators!





Peter