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What would be your response if we were to pose the question, "what is better than a black bear and a white Siberian tiger sporting traditional sevillanas dresses, adorned with flowers and dancing a Spanish Flamenco under the bright lights of a ballroom platform, televised for all of the world to see?" Well, if you're like us, then kangaroo boxing and monkey-ostrich pair jousting may come to mind. But, now, it seems that some international group of party-poopers* known as "animal rights advocates" have deprived Shanghailanders of the one sure-fire joy of living in China: the Shanghai Animal Olympics has been canceled.
The International Herald Tribune quotes a "woman who answered the phone" at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park as saying that the Animal Olympics has been canceled "out of consideration for the safety of our visitors." We assume that by "out of consideration for the safety of our visitors" she means the Animal Olympics became an embarrassment to the Shanghai government after animal rights advocates publicized the Animal Olympics via the Internet and through numerous foreign media channels in tandem with a letter-writing campaign to the central government's tourism authority and Shanghai officials. Shanghai Wild Animal Park official Su Feilong commented in the Shanghai Daily, "The games never caused any trouble before, but we received complaints this year, so we stopped them." The Shanghai Daily said the Animal Olympics closed down "quietly" two weeks ago -- they were scheduled to run until the end of the month.
Daniel Turner of the British animal rights group Born Free, is quoted from the group's website: "This is degrading for the animals, insulting to our intelligence and a disaster for any possible chance of increasing respect for the wild animals we share the world with." Born Free's website has more pictures and damning information on the Shanghai Animal Olympics, including the contact information of officials to whom the concerned can send complaints.
Further, the International Herald Tribune writes:
The cancellation indicated heightened sensitivity to negative publicity about animal welfare in China, where such shows are common at zoos and animal parks and rarely draw complaints from the Chinese public. But growing concern is evident and is often linked to personal freedoms such as the right to own a pet, which used to be banned by the communist regime.Earlier this year, mass slaughters of dogs in an effort to control rabies sparked criticism even from state-controlled media. A campaign in Beijing to enforce strict rules on dog ownership, including limiting ownership to one dog, also prompted a rare public protest earlier this month by about 500 demonstrators outside a city zoo.
"Chinese law only seeks to protect rare wild animals and there is little that can be done to publicize the importance of animal protection in general," said Tao Rongfang, of the Shanghai Small Animal Protection Association, a private voluntary group that is one of China's oldest animal welfare organizations.
"It's good to see that some of our citizens realize this problem and ... object against this," Tao said.
* Disclaimer: Not to underestimate you, but this is sarcasm, folks. We do not support the Animal Olympics.
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Haha, i love the sarcasm disclaimer.
It's sad but true, sarcasm is often missed on the internet for some bizarre reason.
But seriously, on this topic, I don't support it but where does it stop and why here?
Every year, dozens of well-publicized cases of horses been put done after a race or training mishap. Couple this with the bizarre acts in many circuses around the world, why does this generate so much attention?
Is it because its called an Olympics?
Is it because of of the work of these activists promoting this event?
Is it because its a Chinese thing, and China is regarded/has a bad record on these things?
etc ...
Good article and good news!! :D
I'm very pleased that they shut down the Animal Olympics. It was disgusting.
Don't those foreign barbarians understand? Even nature must serve the Yellow Emporer and entertain the Chinese people because they are the center of the universe!
Are animals capable of feeling degraded? Should things which insult our intelligence be banned? Doesn't sound like my thing, but doesn't sound so much different from what they have at Sea World's dolphin show, either. The elephant v. lots of people tug of war sounds kind of fun, actually.
Chinese zoos are wildly under-funded, I wonder if this is one of the only ways for Chinese animal parks to make revenue?
Do whips, electric shocks, beatings, undernourishment, being forced to do things that are totally unnatural to you and being kept in a small cage sound like "your thing," Sam? (Save the S&M joke, thanks)
The truth is that animals are much like ourselves, and capable of complex emotions and social behavior. Research supports this.
Immediately, it is cruel to the animals, and more broadly, it sends the wrong message to the children who see it.
maybe that's why the zoo needed the funding
the Internet is itself ironic. :O) this was a splendid post. cheers.
WLW, elephant v. humans tug of wars don't sound like torture to me. And do animals feel humiliated, even if most aren't capable of concieving a self?
To me, it sounds like these organizations need to re-prioritize. There are genuine endangered species & tortured animals out there.
OF COURSE, the performance does not contain mistreatment of the animal. No one would watch it otherwise. Abuse occurs in the training and preparation, and when animals are distressed, traumatized, and/or malnourished, it is apparent to the trained eye.
I will agree with your point about other animal-protection issues, but this is as much social statement as an animal rights issue. Everyone knows that the animal rights situation in China is dismal, and there should be some starting point to reverse that.
Further, I would posit, that the way that children learn to respect animals as they are in a social context, much reflects the way they will respect others as adults. And this "Animal Olympics" is a poor example.