No time for posting tonight... Straits Times on the hippo:
A hippo in Taiwan died on Monday after suffering two accidents last week, once when it fell from a moving truck and again when its container was dropped as it was being returned to its pond.All the terrible things happening in the world, and yet this hippo has broken my heart. News says prosecutors are going after 5 people. The zoo involved has a long history with the authorities, but as is so typical with so many things in Taiwan, somehow it just lurches on...
The animal, named "A Ho" after the Chinese word for hippo Ho Ma, was found dead in its pond at a farm in central Taichung city.
Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji has slammed A Ho's owner, the head of a private ranch, for what he said was carelessness in transporting the animal and, while a post-mortem will be performed on the mammal to determine the exact cause of death, the government is considering prosecuting the hippo's owner.
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Daily Links:
- New Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je is not business as usual. Here he takes on the construction-industrial state that is consuming the island: Solidarity.tw with the translation. You need to be reading that blog, if you're interested in Taiwan.
- Taiwan in Cycles on a NYTimes piece on cycling in Taiwan
- Richard Saunders on 5 Fantastic Taiwan Hikes
- Taiwan to develop radar, advanced missiles
[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
Regarding A-Ho the Hippo, I am totally with you. What a lone life he had and what a sad, painful end.
ReplyDeleteI hope the owner receives severe punishment for his act, if not for anything, at least, to send a message to all irresponsible animal owners.
The way some Taiwanese keep their dogs on short leashes outside their shops for years on end always makes me angry.
ReplyDeleteLikewise small dogs/cats put into sidewalk cages all their lives with wire bottoms they can barely stand on I think is torture.
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Another link to add... a gift from the prc.gov
ReplyDeletehttp://www.diaoyudao.org.cn/index.htm
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Anonymous 10:15,
In Vancouver, a group called "Ocean Dog Rescue" AKA, "CERA" http://www.ceradogs.org/ allows people in the Vancouver area adopt or provide foster homes for Taiwanese dogs that are treated with such cruelty and abandonment.
We adopted such a dog ourselves. And I encourage others in the Vancouver to do the same. Even though they are trained by the organization, sometimes they need a family with a bit more care and attentiveness.
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I feel for the hippo too. I think it hits me harder because I'm a bit overweight these days and know what it feels like to be lying there struggling for breath.
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