Comments on: Zoo Removes Tiger’s Teeth for Better Interaction http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/ Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:53:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Joonie http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-8863 Joonie Tue, 13 May 2008 11:29:06 +0000 http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-8863 You are a moron. You are a moron.

]]> By: pebbles http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-6341 pebbles Fri, 04 Jan 2008 06:37:26 +0000 http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-6341 you know, most animals in captivation (may it be some asian zoo or your grandma's house) have been mutilated in some way. Tigers get teeth pulled out, bears get rings in their noses, cats get neutered, and some dogs have their tails cut off and their vocal chords removed for the sake of tranquility. if you really cared about the welfare of animals, you should concentrate less on hurling insults at specific cultures and spend more time raising awareness or just treating your own pets better. you know, most animals in captivation (may it be some asian zoo or your grandma’s house) have been mutilated in some way. Tigers get teeth pulled out, bears get rings in their noses, cats get neutered, and some dogs have their tails cut off and their vocal chords removed for the sake of tranquility.
if you really cared about the welfare of animals, you should concentrate less on hurling insults at specific cultures and spend more time raising awareness or just treating your own pets better.

]]> By: Bjorn http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-6256 Bjorn Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:59:02 +0000 http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-6256 After having visited the Phuket Zoo in Thailand just 2 days ago, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if these two accounts had been documented at that very place. But apart from some isolated cultures (maybe), none of us is free from involvement in what is happening on our planet, to our own species and to every other species that lives here. My own view is that the most enlightened zoos function in an educational role, deepening our awareness and appreciation of natural ecosystems and the lives of other species as well as our own. In doing so, they ultimately deepen our experience as conscious human beings. By contrast, zoos such as Phuket Zoo take a view that animals exist for no other reason than to be exploited as food, entertainment, or some other commodity. As though I needed any other tipoff, once having seen the anthropomorphic crocodile statues standing guard at the ticket desk, I soon realized that most of the 500 baht entrance fee went to such things as staffing the trainers and daredevils at the shows, padding the pockets of the photo-op managers with their macaws, orang-utan, pythons and tigers, rather than to the welfare of animals and the education of zoo visitors. I opted not to attend any of the shows or to linger long near any of the photo-op stations. The music that I heard blaring from the opposite corner of the zoo was vulgar and exploitative, and one glimpse of the elephant show was enough to move me to tears. Even the gift shop appeared poised to profit from the most obvious exploitation of animal resources, as was perfectly demonstrated by a row of cobra skin handbags, each one adorned by a flattened cobra head. But beyond these more immediately exciting observations, it struck me as interesting that so much space was given to (what appeared to me) the breeding of exotic species. It seemed that everywhere I looked I saw another pool teeming with yet another age group of crocodiles. A rather large flock of crowned cranes and cassowaries is maintained on an island and divided up into breeding pairs housed within small enclosures. Multiple pairs of eclectus parrots, black-palm cockatoos, as well as what looked like attempts to encourage breeding with several other more exotic parrot species, led me to believe that this was yet another means of bringing in revenue for someone. One wonders at how much of this money goes towards preserving the natural habitats in the wild, not to mention the animal's actual housing conditions at the Phuket Zoo itself. All that said, a visit to Phuket Zoo is not without its enjoyable moments. The various gardens and plantings, and many of the animals on display were fascinating to see, a number of which I had never seen before. My most treasured moments were those in which a female gibbon, despite her depressingly limited and stark habitat, reached through the bars for seemingly no other reason than simply to make physical contact. I held her hand gently for several minutes, and was left with the impression that she would have been as happy to have continued doing so as she was disinterested in the long-beans poked in her direction by some European visitors. In a western zoo, one would never have gotten this opportunity for such tearful contact. As much as I learned about any other species at the Phuket Zoo, I was confronted with a highly magnified and concentrated observation of the way our own species has, for a long, long time, viewed other species; a view that must change if life is to be enjoyed by any species. After having visited the Phuket Zoo in Thailand just 2 days ago, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if these two accounts had been documented at that very place. But apart from some isolated cultures (maybe), none of us is free from involvement in what is happening on our planet, to our own species and to every other species that lives here. My own view is that the most enlightened zoos function in an educational role, deepening our awareness and appreciation of natural ecosystems and the lives of other species as well as our own. In doing so, they ultimately deepen our experience as conscious human beings. By contrast, zoos such as Phuket Zoo take a view that animals exist for no other reason than to be exploited as food, entertainment, or some other commodity. As though I needed any other tipoff, once having seen the anthropomorphic crocodile statues standing guard at the ticket desk, I soon realized that most of the 500 baht entrance fee went to such things as staffing the trainers and daredevils at the shows, padding the pockets of the photo-op managers with their macaws, orang-utan, pythons and tigers, rather than to the welfare of animals and the education of zoo visitors. I opted not to attend any of the shows or to linger long near any of the photo-op stations. The music that I heard blaring from the opposite corner of the zoo was vulgar and exploitative, and one glimpse of the elephant show was enough to move me to tears. Even the gift shop appeared poised to profit from the most obvious exploitation of animal resources, as was perfectly demonstrated by a row of cobra skin handbags, each one adorned by a flattened cobra head. But beyond these more immediately exciting observations, it struck me as interesting that so much space was given to (what appeared to me) the breeding of exotic species. It seemed that everywhere I looked I saw another pool teeming with yet another age group of crocodiles. A rather large flock of crowned cranes and cassowaries is maintained on an island and divided up into breeding pairs housed within small enclosures. Multiple pairs of eclectus parrots, black-palm cockatoos, as well as what looked like attempts to encourage breeding with several other more exotic parrot species, led me to believe that this was yet another means of bringing in revenue for someone. One wonders at how much of this money goes towards preserving the natural habitats in the wild, not to mention the animal’s actual housing conditions at the Phuket Zoo itself.

All that said, a visit to Phuket Zoo is not without its enjoyable moments. The various gardens and plantings, and many of the animals on display were fascinating to see, a number of which I had never seen before. My most treasured moments were those in which a female gibbon, despite her depressingly limited and stark habitat, reached through the bars for seemingly no other reason than simply to make physical contact. I held her hand gently for several minutes, and was left with the impression that she would have been as happy to have continued doing so as she was disinterested in the long-beans poked in her direction by some European visitors. In a western zoo, one would never have gotten this opportunity for such tearful contact.

As much as I learned about any other species at the Phuket Zoo, I was confronted with a highly magnified and concentrated observation of the way our own species has, for a long, long time, viewed other species; a view that must change if life is to be enjoyed by any species.

]]> By: Jackie http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-6217 Jackie Tue, 25 Dec 2007 00:30:34 +0000 http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-6217 This isn't a case of one culture vs. another. It comes down to basic human decency and our responsibility to not cause unncessary suffering to weaker animals. A cat is a mammal, not a cold blooded animal like a crab or a lobster. It shares very much the same nervous system with human beings. Why there is even debate on why it's NOT OK to COOK a mammal alive is so beyond me. I am sure you'll find plenty of Chinese people who would vehemently oppose this kind of action. This sort of behavior is hopefully only confined to a few deviant individuals. This isn’t a case of one culture vs. another. It comes down to basic human decency and our responsibility to not cause unncessary suffering to weaker animals. A cat is a mammal, not a cold blooded animal like a crab or a lobster. It shares very much the same nervous system with human beings. Why there is even debate on why it’s NOT OK to COOK a mammal alive is so beyond me. I am sure you’ll find plenty of Chinese people who would vehemently oppose this kind of action. This sort of behavior is hopefully only confined to a few deviant individuals.

]]> By: anonymousgirl http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-4897 anonymousgirl Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:05:40 +0000 http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/08/04/zoo-removes-tigers-teeth-for-better-interaction/#comment-4897 no. thats mean. no. thats mean.

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