"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. ...But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche
We were watching this video from YouTube earlier and, being the skeptic I am, I had to look into this. According to Snopes, this is a True Story. Although, it's not quite what it seems.
These domesticated elephants are trained to use the paintbrushes and recreate the same picture, over and over. When they want a new color, they drop the brush. Obviously, they are not able to pick up a paintbrush, so their trainers give them a new one. That is, beyond the repetitive training, the only intervention by humans in the 'painting' process.
The organization that trains these elephants and sells the artwork offers this mission statement:
The Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project (AEACP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the diminishing number of Asian elephants left on our planet through its work with domesticated elephants. The AEACP raises funds through donations and the sale of artwork created by elephants in order to fulfill its mission.
Asian Elephants are seriously threatened in the wild, with populations estimated at less than 35,000. I'm not certain that I agree with teaching an elephant to paint, but I do support any efforts to protect these beautiful animals.
I've recently taken on editing at BestOfTheWeb. My favorite categories are in the Kids and Teens section, especially different Science-related areas, such as Health and Living Things.
Just recently, I was working on categories for several Marsupial species. You know them - Kangaroos, Wallabies, Wombats, Possums, and their relatives. They are amazing creatures and I had a great time learning about them.
Then, today, I was channel-surfing and found "Growing Up Marsupial" on Animal Planet. It's about three people who become 'mum' to marsupial babies, with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. One has been working with a Quoll, another has Tasmanian Devil siblings, and the third a baby Wombat.
I've attached a link to the website and the schedule for subsequent airings. Please take a look. These babies, and their human 'mums', are just incredible.
I have always trusted my cats to give me their opinion of the people who visit my home. Most people don't make much of an impression - because each kitty was either happy to see people or terrified to see people - consistently. Until Paka.
Paka is an interesting detective. Interesting, to me, because I have been - consistently - unable to predict his reactions. The people that I don't mind, he does; the people that I mind, he doesn't. With the exception of anyone under the age of (about) 5.
This kitty loves little kids. He will jump into the window to see the 'little one' walking by. If the door is open, it's all we can do to keep him from going out to get 'loves' from any child nearby. Adults, not his favorite humans, don't generally warrant the same affection, though he will tolerate some of these 'tall kids'.
Then . . . we had a visitor for a few days.
In the beginning, there wasn't much of an issue; although Paka did hide more than usual. We didn't worry much, since he has places where he can go and no one is allowed to bother him. Apparently, that wasn't enough, because Paka began hissing - loudly - whenever our guest got within about 3 feet of him. We weren't happy, but we still weren't overly concerned, because Paka could still get away .
Or so we thought . . .
Mark and I had gone to bed. Everything was quiet and we were playing TextTwist™. Then, out of the blue, there was a feline scream - not a hiss or growl - from the other room! Supposedly, nothing happened. But Paka doesn't cry out - ever - unless he is in distress.
We immediately moved everything into our bedroom for the night - for the first time since Paka was a baby.
I don't think we'll be having any roomies . . . ever again.
I was reading this news story and just couldn't believe my eyes!
Imagine lifting the toilet seat and having a nearly 6' long snake staring up at you. Well, apparently, that's what residents of a high-rise apartment building in Darwin, Australia were experiencing. The man who captured the python felt that the runaway pet had been wandering through the building's sewer system. Judging by the reported smell, he must have been right.
My question is: How, exactly, does one pull a 1.8 meter snake out of the toilet?
Along with the rising cost of . . . everything, is a rising cost in caring
for our cat, Paka. It's amazing how much prices have increased lately.
The
stores where I usually buy my pet
supplies now charge 35% to almost 100% more on different items. So,
you know me, I've gone shopping. After all, cat food and litter is not a
luxury item - gotta have 'em every day.
After the scares we had
from the melamine in pet foods, it's difficult to be sure that products
are safe. But that doesn't mean that we need to be held hostage by
manufacturers.
It's possible to find natural, healthy safe foods
out there. Tell the companies that support pet owners how much you
appreciate them, by buying exclusively from them.
Well, ladies and gents - it appears that our lonely, lovesick young lady has been jilted. These fickle white swans. I tell you! It's just not right! Get a woman's hopes up; start her thinking about a nest and little cygnets - then, poof!
Luckily, the zoo in Muenster still had the 'address' of Petra's former love, who was faithfully 'pining' away on the lake where they met. The two 'lovers' will be reunited on Friday.
This is just the sweetest story. A black swan at the zoo in Muenster, Germany developed a fondness for a swan-shaped boat and refused to leave its side. Rather than traumatize the swan, zookeepers brought her and the boat in for the winter and let them continue to spend time together.
Sadly, this spring, the boat has been jilted in favor of a male white swan, with whom the young lady is building a nest.
