Us humans have always used wildlife - and the bigger the better or the more powerful the more we can impress people with what we have....

We do this in Zoo's - circuses - etc etc.
The other month I saw a man getting killed by a crocodile as he was doing a show; sorry to sound cruel however what does he expect?? You keep such a wonderful reptile in a small pond and play with it; good luck sooner or later he will snap at you.

Or a lion will kill a warden or zoo keeper - well, if I was placed in a cage with lots of people to look at me on a daily basis and have a wonderful sign on my cage stating "King of the Jungle" - I am sure I shall take my anger out on Mr cleaner when I have a chance to do so.

6 months ago there was a school outing and I took my daughter to a children large play area - in the afternoon was a visit to see the animals. My daughter who has being goig into the bush in Kenya since 18 months of age found it very strange to see every animal in a cage. Explain that to a child saying the truth - no it is not for showing or education people but for making money out of captured animals.
There was this polar bear that could not stop walking around his / hers little cage with some water inside. The look of his eyes were glazed and lost. How sad - really sad and I have no idea how any manager / owner of a company can be proud of owning / running such a place. What kind of satisfaction do you get from having such a company? We are strange people -

Nico

Nico:

At last people are starting to think twice about zoos and circuses. There is a group here in the U.S. www.elephantcommentator.com who are fighting very hard to have abused circus and zoo elephants released to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. This is a place with huge acreage that will allow circus and zoo elephants to live out their lives in peace and quiet doing what they wish to do - no on-lookers except for a video camera which can be accessed online.

They are also currently focusing on letter writing against the elephant polo in India. Hopefully other people that favor the big cats, or the polar bear you saw, will start fighting for them also.

jan, could you please check the web address...i cannot get them - server cannot find - and google doesn't help at all..........
thanks ain advance
irma

Pippa:

Sorry, I didn't give the whole address. It is:

http://groups.msn.com/TheElephantCommentator

Incidentally I like your www.talkingtravel.co.za. There are some very good thoughts on that forum. I'll check back on it again.

thanks jan!!!

to all members:

when you get back to nairobi visit the animal orphanage. there you find 3 cheetah sisters together in an enclosure - they have been living there for 3 (!!!) years now! the measurements is approx. 15 by 15 meters. the enclosure is next to a street and doesn't offer any bush, tree or other hide. the only - and really the ONLY - thing in that miserable enclosure is a table!!! you are allowed to enter the enclosure and take fotos, pet the cheetahs and leave a big tipp with the caretaker! the poor creatures are exposed to the noice which the airplanes make apporaching wilson, the noise from that street - one of the cheetahs runs up and down the fence as soon as a car is in sight.
all three had infected ears when we visited. the get treatment with insect repellent!!!

next door to the orphanage is the nature walk where they have really big enclosures. there live to cheetahs - a boy and a girl -. they have bushes, trees and a big enclosure and they get exercises....

i contact the kws in order to get them aware what's going on in the orphanage. no response........

may i ask you to pursue the kws as well and ask for reloaction to the nature walk site so that these cheetah beauties might get a better life.

maybe nico has got a clue what to do about the cats....

pippa

Pippa:

Thanks so much for cluing us in on that situation. Though I go to Sheldrick Trust, I have never been to the animal orphanage to which you refer. However, if I were you I would send another message to kipngetich@kws.org (he is the Director and if he doesn't address it himself, at least he will see that some other trustworthy person looks into it. I have written him on several other things. I don't always get a reply, but he has been gracious enough to respond at times.

I will be writing him this weekend anyway just to tell him I saw him on Good Morning America and I will ask him to address this dreadful situation with the cheetahs also.