Our local wildlife can be very… independent minded. A giraffe and a baboon have made separate headlines today for their remarkably free-thinking behaviour.

This morning an adult giraffe headbutted a human in Hammanskraal near Pretoria, leaving the man, 32,  with severe spinal injuries. The giraffe took exception to his attempts to draw blood from the animal for medical purposes, and ensured the man required far more serious medical treatment. He had to be airlifted to hospital.

Fairly nearby on the East Rand, a baboon is roaming wild in Benoni and has been spotted spending most of his days on the local golf course. The authorities have not yet been able to trap the animal. The chacma baboon escaped ten days ago from a residential home where he had been living, presumably kept as a pet by the owners. The concepts of ‘wild animal’ and ‘domestic play thing’ seldom work harmoniously together.

While safety of the injured headbuttee and the residents of Benoni are obviously serious concerns, you’d be forgiven for wondering whether one day all the animals will finally grow bored of annoying human interference in its entirety and simply revolt like they do in the movies.

[Source: Times Live / EWN]