Elephants, Hippos and Other Animals, Oh My

1) Another sign of the “changing times”: Dooce’s A Response And An Apology, in response  to and apologizing for Wildlife Encounters, Episode “Baby Elephant”.

On a recent trip to raise awareness about human trafficking, Heather of Dooce got flamed in part for ignorance re mostly widespread animal cruelty regarding the training of baby elephants (particularly for the tourist trade) in Southeast Asia. Basically the foreign bloggers marveling at a baby elephant in the street pretty much got hammered for being touristy and raising awareness about that because the right thing to do is to not encourage this trade by riding those elephants. 

Now, I am Southeast Asian of the sort who has baby elephant memories (in fact I didn’t even study tertiary further “abroad” than Singapore.) During primary school in Sandakan, one of the times we drove up to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center there was a baby elephant casually plucking at all the plants he/she could get at while loosely secured with a dog chain to a post. “We shot the mum,” the Orang Asli caretaker explained. “Simply couldn’t keep her out of our crops. And then we found the baby and felt bad so here he is.” That was about 30 years ago.

To the best of my knowledge that elephant wasn’t tortured trained for tourist pleasure, and back then they also had Orang Utans who sling their arms around you and get into your bags and negotiate what you will be allowed to leave “their” territory with, all for your tourist pleasure 😀

(For real though, you hike deep into this jungle clearing at feeding time to be prodded and poked and posed with for pictures by the Orang Utans 😀 The guides erm, casually advise you not to be led out of their sight by any of the animals, who btw can be quite insistent and are very strong. I remember some very mild concern when they completely lost one grown man for a few minutes, before he walked back hand in hand with one of the animals. Probably not for the little kids..)

So anyway just to say that growing up I rode elephants during little vacations to neighboring countries, the ones with the elephants in shows. I know lotsa others who did. And until I read Dooce (did I mention she is from Utah?), Southeast Asian (who has never been to Europe nor studied abroad further than Singapore nor seen snow til I was 34) that I am, I still wasn’t that aware just how abusive the practice of training a baby elephant for tourist rides often is… Or that it is reviled in parts of the world nowadays…

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2) Celebrity Kids With More Frequent Fliers Than You

Had to put this after I read it says they travel with 6 kids + 2 nannies per kid = HOW MANY FREQUENT FLIER MILES IS THAT COMBINED I CAN’T EVEN.

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3) 20 Animals Chicer Than You On Instagram

Now, if we could just figure how to carry the Chanel box/ keep the rabbit on the Chanel box all the time, we’d be set.

(Or, in the Miss’ words, “Wabbit! Wabbit! Wabbit! Wabbit!“)

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4) Dog Fails Of 2013

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5) Closely followed (and a little duplicated) by Dogs Who Failed So Hard They Won

…Proving it’s not whether you win or lose. Not even how you play the game. It’s about how cute you look. Of course it is.

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6) And so. 14 year old finds graffiti making fun of her weight. She decided to laugh it off.

Not sure about the comparing behinds thing, but this is here because of the laughing off thing. Should be shown to other 14 year old girls with the otherwise mild caveat re comparing behinds thing. Not whether you win or lose. Not even how you play the game. It’s about how cute confident you look.

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7) Another disgustingly over-achieving parent. Mum draws on children’s lunchbox napkins every day.

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8) The Rockstars got nuthin’ that tops the Gif below, so they’re in second last place (?!) this week with Rained In, What Are They Doin’? (To be continued…)

 

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9) Fight the good fight, don’t let the lions bite? 

No wait, so what if they do?

Have a good week ahead…

ps: Gif from here