The Brave Bold Mule

(Update 12/14/2004: read the the real story about the "banning" of the Declaration of Independence and the impact of Steven Williams' mendacious suit on the students he professes to care about here)

Enough about the un-Christian mendacious manipulation of public opinion.. There's a heroic mule! The clearest images I've found so far are here.

The American Donkey and Mule Society says that the photos represent mule behavior, and appear to be genuine, but plese don't send any more pictures, they've seen them.

The photos are supposed to be of a mule in New Mexico on a lion hunt (yes it is legal in some states).  The mule is attacking the mountain lion which we were told initially had already been shot by hunters.

Yes, a mule will attack a predator in this fashion.  This is the same way a donkey would attack a dog or coyote, which is what makes (some) donkeys good guard animals.  The photos are very graphic, but do show exactly the mode of attack a mule or donkey would use.

We would not say that the photos had been "contrived" or doctored in any way.  Leah Patton, office manager of the ADMS, has witnessed similar attack behaviour between a donkey and dog, as have other staff of the ADMS, and other mule and donkey owners.  In this case, the photos would be classified as "Genuine".

The story as represented today on Snopes doesn't quite hang together...

These pics came from a someone's dad in AZ. Yes the mule killed the mountain lion. The lion had been stalking them for the better part of the morning, on the way out to a hunt. They were pretty sure it was after a dog. The cat apparently ambushed them, and the mule pictured tossed its rider and went into attack (defense) mode, the horses scattered and shots were fired but no one was sure if they hit the cat or not. Unfortunately, the battle was decently long, and it wasn't until it was almost over that one of the guys started snapping pics.

Here's the photo that is always first in the series. What can I point out?

*The mule doesn't have a slick coat, it is a bit furry. This might be early fall, or even full winter, if the mule doesn't carry a heavy winter hair coat (and depending on its' mother, it may not. My last Quarter Horse barely got fuzzy.)

*It is hard to tell how big the mule is and how big the cat is from the surrounding evidence. If the mule is about 15.2 hands, my stirrups--and I'm 5'4" and tend to ride a bit short--would be a few inches higher.

*I can't tell if the reins are a loop (solid from one side of the bit to the other) or split (separate), so there's no evidence as to whether the rider got off intentionally or had an involuntary dismount.

*What the mule is packing, from the front of the saddle to the back:
*Two large radios (like BIG walkie talkies)
*Something that looks like a long gun in a scabbard (or a machete?)
*Conventional leather saddlebags that don't look very full
*Some kind of flat envelope-type bag tied to the back of the saddle (a sit-upon?)
*There's a strap on the other, uphill side that is in the right place for a cinch strap to have worked loose. You can also see it in the second picture, but not the last two.

*The mule's expression. It is hard to put into words how I (and most other experienced horse folk) read an animal's inner emotional and psychological state. The hints or "tells" can be subtle.
*In the first three pictures I'd describe the attitude of the mule's ears as indicating "threat" or "dislike". The ears aren't so far back, or held so tightly, as to suggest either "fear" or "rage".
*The mule's nostrils look relaxed, not clamped down or wrinkly, which also indicate an absence of fear or rage.
*The mule is head-down on a pretty steep slope, so the attitude of the hindquarters and the tension in the belly is influenced a lot by the head-down position. But in general I'd say I don't see any fear or undue tension in the hindquarters or the belly.

*The mountain lion:
*There seems to be a strap around the mountain lion's body.
*The mule has the mountain lion by the base of the tail. It looks like the cat is swinging up to claw at the mule....but if the cat is dead, it then appears that the mule has jerked the cat off the ground and the cat's dead body just happens to assume this position. The tail is to the left of the horse and the head is downhill and to the right of the horse.

*Position of the photographer
*Uphill from the horse and cat

*Scenery
*Note the spiky yucca (type) plants, one in front and two the left of the horse, one just uphill from the left hip.

This photograph is less crisp (focus not as good). If these photographs are in the correct sequence (and I am not sure they are), the moutain lion now has its head towards the uphill side and is lying on its right side. That is to say, the mule has completely changed its grip on the cat, which seems difficult to do unless the cat is dead or so injured that it cannot move.

*What the mule is packing, from the front of the saddle to the back:
*Somewhat clearer view of the thing that looks like a long gun in a scabbard.
*There's a strap on the other, uphill side that is in the right place for a cinch strap to have worked loose.

*The mule's expression is still...workmanlike, not expressing fear or rage.
*The mule's nostrils look relaxed, not clamped down or wrinkly, which also indicate an absence of fear or rage.

*The mountain lion:
*There seems to be a strap around the mountain lion's body, which has fallen down toward the flanks
*The mule has the mountain lion by the left shoulder. The tail is to the right of the horse and the head is uphill and to the left of the horse.

*Position of the photographer
*Downhill and in front of the horse and cat

*Scenery
*Note the spiky yucca (type) plants, one in front and two the left of the horse, one just uphill from the left hip.

==================
I think this is a more correct sequence:

Hunting lions with hounds can be one of the most thrilling hunts that a person can experience. When a big tom track is cut and the first bawl of a hound is let out, the hair will stand up on the back of your neck and the blood will be rushing through your veins. The pursuit of these big cats could last for minutes, hours, or days, depending on if he's traveling to different country or just making a little circle hunting for a meal. We use trucks and snowmachines for transportation to cut tracks and get as close to the dogs as we can when they get the lion treed. A lot of times this is a very demanding hunt because it seems they always tree on the highest point or lowest point where vehicles are unable to get. We have a healthy population of lions with a lot of deep remote country to provide quality toms and producing females with offspring. We run 7-day, one-on-one hunts from the 10th of November to the 31st of March. Our lion seasons are on a quota. When so many lions are taken in an area, it will be closed until the following year.

Comments

[Jules]

Look at the attitudes of the dogs in the background. They look slightly interested, but that's all. I haven't hunted cat with dogs, but I have hunted bear (with the same kind of dogs), and they're usually ALL worked up in the presence of a prey animal, alive or dead. Usually, after it's killed, the dogs have to be tied up to keep them off the carcas or they'll totally destroy it. These dogs look like they might be watching a person, or some antics of the mule, but they're not turned "on". Just my opinion...

[qt]

Does anyone have the original story that came with these pictures? Could you please send them to me, I wanted to share it with my Dad.
Much appreciated.
qt
horseqqtt@yahoo.com

[skye]

edited to remove inappropriate personal information
I am really glad about your brave hearted mule. At my old foster house Gail had received this e-mail and I was very surprised. Is this the first time your mule has saved your life? Well I need to return back to class.

[Skye]

edited to remove inappropriate disclosure of personal information

Thank you for the time in reading my e-mail, and also would you please give me some info on how to train a stubburn horse who hate people who he doesn't trust and hates it when you pick something up off the ground. I also have a filly who is afraid of people and my little brother.... would one day want to go around her. I feel like I am the only one who is able to go around her. I do not know why, but she has found out that she can trust me and no one else. Please if you have time, if you are able to answer these questions for me, and one more thing, why does this horse trust me in the way that she does and no one else? Thank you for all the time that you have and answering the questions that I lay on you. I just want to know f there is something about me that all the horses love that no one else has. I'm sorry to disturb you. Please write to me soon.

[Ozzy]

I had also seen these photos before and thought I would have a look in Snopes and it appears that the mule did not kill the cat but was already dead

[Ozzy]

Sorry here is the link http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/mulelion.asp

[jack sanders]

Mr. Sanders, who has the IP address of 74.67.8.224, left the following foul-mouthed and abusive post, which I have disemvowelled

fck y btchs! y'r ll chcknshts, b cp f y wnt t hnt thngs r r y t chckn sht?

[yogan]

good

[Teresa]

I don't understand!! The horse is trained to do that?? That's just weird if you ask me...