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June: A Horrific New Type Of Animal Video Emerges
OK, so we might have been a little harsh on YouTube. It's not all dangerous pranks, pedophiles, cults of personality, conspiracy theories, and homophobia. There are also animal videos, and who doesn't love a good animal vid- oh, goddammit.
In June, it was revealed that a Bond-villain-in-training trend had taken hold on the site. Animal owners would film their pets being attacked and damn near killed by dangerous predators like snakes, only for them to swoop in at the last possible second to save them.
YouTube, via GizmodoIt's dark when the best thing you can say about these videos is "At least it isn't a baby ... yet."
The majority of these videos -- with titles like "Python Attack On Puppies," "Real Anaconda Stalks Cat," and "Brave Man Rescues Family Puppies From Giant Python" -- were filmed in such a way as to suggest that these were all real things that somebody just happened to be walking by while holding a camera. When you dig into them, though, these videos demonstrate practically every hallmark of being staged, what with the multiple angles, continuity errors, and oh yeah, the basic fact that domestic animals don't tend to dick around in python nests.