Safety With Animals (1961)

[Music] learning to be around animals SA ly opens the door to much that is fun and [Music] rewarding if we understand an animal we aren't afraid of it knowledge and skill are the keys to safety around [Music] animals to get a close look at a wild bird or animal is a rare experience few wild animals such as foxes are dangerous unless we we try to touch or to catch them only occasional wild animals will try to hurt anyone if not cornered sometimes an owl will attack anything it sees moving and with big owls it is best to watch quietly and from a distance Bears even young cubs that look so cute may bite and Claw just out of meanness so do some raccoons and they also may carry diseases so do squirrels and other wild rodents many sicknesses can come from handling them in fact the only rodents safe to handle are those that have been bred and raised for pets or for laboratory work a few wild animals are poisonous this scorpion has a poison sack near a stinger in his tail this is a very close view of a poisonous spider the black widow with the characteristic marking on the underside of the body this snake is poisonous four types of poisonous snakes are found in North America and this is a poison lizard a hila monster yet if you know them most kinds of wild lizards are safe to handle and make into pets experts say reptiles are the only wild animals you can take young and raise and keep safely reptils are not often disease carriers and they don't turn mean suddenly when they mature as most wild mammals do some snakes are safe to handle and make into pets if you know how to approach them how to pick them up and how to hold them with these few exceptions wild animals are best enjoyed by watching not handling just as with wild animals when around strange domestic animals it is wise to watch from a safe distance most accidents happen when you startle or try to handle animals you don't know horses can be dangerous they can step on you or bite you or kick you yet those who know how to handle horses can be around these big animals without being hurt for those who don't know how to handle them it is best to be cautious this horse is gentle and accustomed to children but for some reason he does doesn't like this boy's petting watch how he tries to get the boy to stop the boy doesn't understand what the horse is trying to do pulling on the rains and trying to get the horse's head down to be petted is a form of teasing and teasing animals often leads to accidents for teasing excites an animal and excited animals are dangerous persons who know how to handle a horse well can do all sorts of things without bothering it anyone skilled in handling an animal can usually do it quietly and gently helping keep the animal calm as a beginner around animals this boy has one advantage he is not afraid this helps for fear excites animals good Riders aren't afraid and they they know just what their horses are doing when around animals it is good to watch them so as to know when trouble begins this dog wants food not petting if the boy were to turn away now the dog would leave there would be no trouble if the boy watched and understood what the dog is doing good Riders even know which foot is leading on their horses not watching and understanding can lead to trouble and trouble usually grows either dog could knock the boy down by jumping up on him to know what an animal will do you must watch it watch its eyes and its movements these are better Clues than sounds it makes it is much harder to calm an animal that is excited than to keep it from getting excited if in the first place this is true of cats this one is calm and lets the boy approach it seems to tolerate being petted and particularly enjoys being scratched behind its ears many animals like this the boy and Cat seem to be making friends but when the boy begins to pull at the cat's paw see what happens teasing EXC exes an animal and many animals if teased will fight back exciting Animals by teasing them can make many of them dangerous even a puppy when this boy tries to hold the puppy and grabs its skin the puppy begins to get excited it becomes angry and fights back once angry the puppy strikes out even at the girl who hasn't teased it as if to say don't you bother me too when the boy slaps the puppy it turns on him again without meaning to the boy has started a big fight with a puppy once an animal is excited it's hard to manage teasing animals almost always makes them excited and angry and a large excited animal is not safe to be near yes even an excited puppy can be dangerous to know what you can do with animals you need to think about them you need to watch them and understand why they do what they do this Pony and her Colt are very active why the pony is nervous trying to protect her cult most animal mothers are easily excited to try to get close to her you must be very quiet make no sudden movements and try to get the pony to understand you won't harm her or her baby slowly as she becomes less and less afraid she lets the boy come very close this is a good beginning in learning to handle animals handling strange dogs is much the same don't approach the dog wait soon if the dog comes near he will feel at ease with you and let you pet him let animals make friends with you is a good rule parrots and similar birds are beautiful and they can be taught many things but their beaks are too strong their claws too powerful and their moods too unpredictable to be handled by children their owners can usually tell the mood the bird is in and know what can be done safely but for most of us Birds such as parrots should be enjoyed much as wild animals are by watching them rather than handling them to handle animals that have been trained most of us must be taught this Pony can be ridden but the boy doesn't know the commands nor the pony's habits and the pony doesn't want to let him get in the saddle unless you know what the animal expects few trained animals will work for you at all this boy is even going to try to get on from the wrong side and this will make many ponies and horses Buck to learn even simple things about working a trained animal most persons must be taught you must learn what each horse is accustomed to how it likes to be held and touched gradually as the horse comes to Know You How Your Hands feel how you move it feels at ease with you around it may even let you touch its legs or feet without being bothered and as a horse comes to like a person even a young child can be taught to ride the horse will follow the commands of the boy because the boy has been taught how to use the RS is also learning to ride safely being taught to sit in the saddle and hold with his knees and to keep alert and watch where the horse is going so as not to be hit by branches most of this the boy has to be taught as he learns it he is finding some of the fun of being able to handle a big animal safely and well as you come to know wild animals by sight and know Beyond question whether a snake is poisonous or not and are sure how to handle a few wild animals it is safe to handle and feel content to enjoy the others by watching them if only in a zoo if you know which domestic animals you should not try to handle and as you learn to let strange animals make friends with you you come to respect animals and at the same time to feel a strong bond with them you aren't afraid for you understand them and if you have been taught to handle a trained animal he will understand you and may follow your commands this is fun and exciting to be safe around animals is to know them to judge what you can do with them and to be skillful in doing it having a big dog willing to take your commands is one good test of your skill with animals and of course a companion such as this dog can help you in many ways he can even protect you can't [Music] [Applause] he [Music]