Cute Knut on a diet!
Did you hear about the delightful little Polar bear born at the famous Berlin Zoo nine months ago? His mother , unfortunately rejected him at birth. It happens in the best (animal) families.
The little bundle of white fur was raised on a bottle and once they could confirm his survival they aptly named him Knut. The much loved cuddly little bear has become a celebrity overnight overshadowing his human counterparts successfully. (And he doesn’t even have spots!). The kids love him, his round the clock keepers are crazy about him and the press can’t get enough pictures and videos of him.
Some Animal activists however are up in arms. They say he should have been left to die. He will never be a ‘real Polar bear’ they argue. He should be killed for his own good demanded one ringleader.
Killed for his own good…. Excuse me?
Knut meanwhile has grown fond of croissants and other such delights and his keepers got strict: No more junk food and more exercise they ordered. After all he had to pose for his star photo session with Annie Leibivitz. He even made the cover of the European edition of Vanity fair!
Meanwhile school children are campaigning outside the zoo, outraged at the discussion of a lethal injection demanded by the animal activists. Finally the Zoo announced they had no intention of putting down their most prized exhibit.
And so Knut lives on, destined to become a mascot for an international environment conference next year. He is to stand up for the anticipated fate his wild cousins may face if the worlds ice cap continues to diminish at the present rate.
This is not just about one animal or one species. Knut will be instrumental in focusing on the plight of all wild animals faced with the loss of their habitat worldwide.
How would he have been off better dead, I ask you!
A million dollars worth of Panda
They’ve just confirmed it on CNN! The cute little new Panda just born at the San Diego Zoo cost one million U.S. Dollars “to make”!
Yep, that’s what the Chinese charge the U.S. for a visit of one of their , shall we say ‘virile’ male Pandas on “breeding loan”.
Just think, given the prospect of new spotted cat companionship, I would have done it for free….
Global warning
It seems that our giant friends, the Elephants are getting out of control
A few days ago the gatekeeper at our William Holden Education Center had the surprise of his life. While he was busy washing the Education Center’s sixwheeler he was alerted by an unusual noise and hurried to his post at the entrance gate. There he was greeted by a huge mature bull Elephant who was whiling away the afternoon looking over the fence into the center’s grounds.
On sighting the alarmed guard the Elephant leisurely went on his way walking up the road towards the forest, not unlike a nosey neighbour pretending he wasn’t really spying.
An excited bunch of village kids followed at a safe distance. Our visitor never looked back. Seemingly acutely aware of the impression made he decided not to take the scenic route to his forest home but instead to brave the wooden bridge over the troubled waters of the Nanyuki river where it boarders the Wildlife Conservancy.
A hush went over the by now sizeable crowd. Only recently the bridge had been declared unsafe for lorries weighing far less than our heavy friend intent on keeping his feet dry.
He had not heard about such things and without a moment’s hesitation he carefully crossed. The timbers creaked beneath him but before they could give way Jumbo was safely on the other side where the green foilage of the Mount Kenya Forest invitingly swallowed up all evidence of this unusual visit.
But why not, I say. Forever humans have gone to google the animals in their “natural habitat”. Time for change I say!
