Freaking Out About Lions

June 23, 2008

Well, that’s it, it finally happened. I had my first panic attack of the project. I was up all night last night freaking out about lions. I expected to get panic attacks, because in the past during dangerous projects I have had the same. It’s funny, I am always asked if I’m scared with the animals and generally speaking I never am. It’s usually after I am in a dangerous situation that I start thinking about the things that could happen and that causes me to get scared. It seems now that I am a bit older, and much more experienced, I can get my mind into those terrible “what if” situations without ever being in one. Too much knowledge is sometimes a bad thing.

If I had to explain my panic attack, I would call it a partial mental breakdown. I say partial because the whole time that I was absolutely gripped and crushed by the fear of what I have gotten myself into, I knew and even verbally told myself “When I wake up tomorrow, it will all be fine.” When I did, it was.

This project is based so much on my confidence. When I get face to face with one of the world’s best predators, I have to know in my head that I can deal with it. That confidence is based on years of experience, and a mind that can focus on a goal in such a way that every detail has been contemplated and accounted for 100 times.

These panic attacks go straight for my confidence. The minute I think that I may not have trained hard enough, figured out a good-enough plan or know enough, or even if I lose faith in the very essence that I believe all animals operate on, that’s when the whole house of cards falls down. That’s when I start to think that a project like this is going to be the end of me. That will be when I pack up and go home.

Thankfully, I feel better.

Comments

[Eye Care]

Can you tell me more about that project, sounds very interesting.

[Lost Pet]

Brilliant photography, not to shabby. I bet it takes a lot of courage to get so close. Lions are my favorite animal of the plains, but i think i love Ligers more even though they aren't wild.

[T]

OMG..."scott quach" and "ming quach" posted the same stupid post, hhmmm, lol....What Dave, is doing is no different than what Steve Irwin or Timothy Treadwell-"Grizzly Man", DID. Its not even that much more different than what "Mutual of Omaha's, WILD KINGDOm" has done since the 1970's! Mr. Quach, do you really think that every single time Dave was charged or in danger, that they shot the lion?? Your an idiot-PERIOD! Dave, may or may not be causing some harm to the lions, but dont ya think, that the lions themselves would take care of business and get rid of Dave themselves, if Dave was doing any real harm??? There are 10 or more lions-Its the simple math equation-you might pick 1 or two off with a gun, but the rest are gonna get to Dave! If the lions want him out, they will dispose of him swiftly. Steve Irwin, got to close and was killed...Timothy Treadwill, got to close and is now also, dead!!! RIP the both of them. Dave is NOT trying to "control" nature or the lions.

[mikaylahhhh]

i love animal planet and this is one f my favorites but how do find all of the animals homes that must hard
but if you could sometime send me a picture of some puppies like chihuahuas puppies send them to my
email address and if there are any white ones with blue eyes send photos of them to please and how did all of this start happening like all t

[Cheap Apcalis]

I admire a lot those photographers! they are great you are correct!!
n_n
danielle

[Skin Rash]

I love animals, I love to take pictures of them, I admired people who can be in the wild and be so calm near to a lion!!
just wonderful!!
Cheryl

[ming quach]

Dave,you need to look at the big picture! Do you realize your ignorance is endangering lions? While you are filming this tastless show of yours, you are never in "real" danger are you? Try being out there with lions ALONE! Now, thats a film worth watching! What you are doing is playing games with lions for t.v. which will and maybe already has gotten lions killed. I know a little about film making, editing, cut scenes, bloopers etc, You only show what you want the people to see.How many times were you almost cat-chow, and they had to shoot the lion? not with the camera? my advise to you, leave the LIONS ALONE!You can't control nature, Who do you think you are? I no longer watch Animal Planet because of your selfish actions and stupidity. From Tacoma Washington ...Scott

[Cellulean Reviews]

That picture is beautiful and so is the lion.

[ming quach]

Dave,you need to look at the big picture! Do you realize your ignorance is endangering lions? While you are filming this tastless show of yours, you are never in "real" danger are you? Try being out there with lions ALONE! Now, thats a film worth watching! What you are doing is playing games with lions for t.v. which will and maybe already has gotten lions killed. I know a little about film making, editing, cut scenes, bloopers etc, You only show what you want the people to see.How many times were you almost cat-chow, and they had to shoot the lion? not with the camera? my advise to you, leave the LIONS ALONE!You can't control nature, Who do you think you are? I no longer watch Animal Planet because of your selfish actions and stupidity. From Tacoma Washington ...Scott

[Viagra Online]

wow nice picture, really great...is just awesome!!!!
You took it??
Tatiana E. Jeffrey

[scott quach]

Dave,you need to look at the big picture! Do you realize your ignorance is endangering lions? While you are filming this tastless show of yours, you are never in "real" danger are you? Try being out there with lions ALONE! Now, thats a film worth watching! What you are doing is playing games with lions for t.v. which will and maybe already has gotten lions killed. I know a little about film making, editing, cut scenes, bloopers etc, You only show what you want the people to see.How many times were you almost cat-chow, and they had to shoot the lion? not with the camera? my advise to you, leave the LIONS ALONE!You can't control nature, Who do you think you are? I no longer watch Animal Planet because of your selfish actions and stupidity. From Tacoma Washington ...Scott

[izmir veteriner]

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[Anna]

While panic attacks are not good or helpful; fear can be good on some level. Lions fear us, dogs fear us, maybe not sharks... but still we should fear them. I consider it an equalizer of sorts, or at least the same page we (animals and people) can all start. :-)

[Online pharmacy]

That will be when I pack up and go home.

[Panic disorders]

Apparently he had become a regular client of one Canadian pharmacy which had excellent customer service policies and which always delivered his medication in time. Generic Viagra

[I'mjustsayin]

Are you flippin kidding?!! I have them all the time. I remember the first day I went for a substitute teacher job....I sat in my car and thought "I can't do this. Those kids are going to eat me alive" They didn't. I remember the first baby I had. It all seems like a quaint idea until the reality and the pains start to hit and then you think "what if my head really does pop off like that children's rhyme?" I think these are all things that happen to keep us from doing totally inane things without regard to our safety. Sort of a checks and balances but then when we come through it we have so much to be personally proud of!

[Hockeyfan]

I think we all get nervous about the unknown. It's a real adrenaline rush to think of living amongst a pride of lions and not knowing the outcome. You have plenty of experience and skills that you won't have any problem.