Charles Darwin at a green chalkboard.

2008 Darwin Awards

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Honoring Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool--by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular way possible.

Not Fast Enough Food
2008 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin

(30 October 2008, Oklahoma) Peter G., 32, was an accomplished big cat keeper. With his huge heart and gift of connecting with animals, this former Tulsa Zoo keeper was the perfect volunteer at Safari's Animal Sanctuary in Broken Arrow. Perfect until the liger incident.

You may ask, as we asked, "What's a liger?"

Ligers are unusual animals, a sterile cross between a male lion and a female tiger, and (like mules) not a species in their own right. Although a liger is a evolutionary dead end, this powerful hybrid is the largest of cats. Rocky, the liger that lived in Broken Arrow, was known as a big baby--but he was not a domestic animal. The wildlife sanctuary manager said, "In all my years we've stressed that whatever you do, don't open that gate."

Peter opened that gate.

For reasons unknown, he violated the rules and entered the liger cage during feeding time, only to become an appetizer for the hungry carnivore. Although he dragged himself out of the cage before becoming the main course, he died in the hospital that very night.

Peter was loved, and he will be missed, but he well aware of the dangers posed by captive wild animals. By not following very obvious safety rules, Peter was behaving with all the care and caution typical of a Darwin Award winner. Burp.

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Submitted by: Rene Laederach
Reference: Daily Mail dailymail.co.uk, cryptomundo.com

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