What Will People Do to Animals Next?

September 29th, 2006 at 08:33 by MsUnderestimated

***SCROLL FOR UPDATE***

Okay, so I know bigger and more “significant” things are going on in the news today, but I just couldn’t let this go.

What the hell is going on in China? Today Drudge points me to one article that leads to another. Both
by the Daily Mail of U.K.

The first article is about some stupid garbage called “Animal Olympics,” which force kangaroos to box humans. Now, I know a lot of you guys are going to say “well, kangaroos are strong and can kick a human’s ass,” but this is in no way fair whatsoever.

According to the first article:

An Australian kangaroo receives a fierce blow to the head by a man dressed in a clown suit (pictured below) in a shameful contest that will further fuel fears over China’s barbaric attitude to animals.


Photos courtesy of Getty

The bizarre marsupial-versus-human bout happened during the so-called Animal Olympics in Shanghai.

Animal rights campaigners say the Chinese have an appalling poor record for animal rights protection and have no laws to protect them.

In the fight, the Australian kangaroo appears to reel backwards after receiving a right hook from its garishly attired opponent.

But the ‘roo, which was wearing boxing gloves on its front paws, fought back, grappling with the clown who was forced back towards the ropes by its onslaught.

Oh, and kangaroos aren’t the only animals in this “olympics” charade:

The event held in a large arena also involves an elephant carrying the Olympic torch and various animals including zebras and mountain goats put through a series of events such as hurdles and races.

Also pictured at the event yesterday were bears standing with boxing gloves on their paws during another distasteful performance.

Now, this article intimates to another from July about a sickening and barbaric “sport” of horse fighting!

From that July article:

With wild, rolling eyes filled with a mixture of fear and hatred, nostrils flaring, blood already flecking their ragged flanks, two stallions rise on hind legs to fight each other in a dusty arena.

All around them as they bite, kick and snort, an excited, cheering crowd takes bets on who will win. While animal welfare groups yesterday condemned the horse-fighting tradition, celebrated by China’s Miao ethnic group in Rongshui county, Guangxi province, locals pointed out that it had been going on for 500 years.

…and further…

One guide explains how two teams of horses, specially selected to be ‘plump, sturdy and energetic,’ are led to the arena and then pitted against each other one by one. They bite each other, turn their hooves and kick the other side heavily. The nervous and fierce fight makes audiences hold their breath or cheer and applaud loudly from time to time,” says the guide.

If one horse falls down or runs away, the other one is declared the winner and another two take their place. The winning horses then fight each other. The last two battle it out to be champion.

While the losers are led away to lick their wounds, the sweat-soaked champion is draped in red while his owner ‘feels very proud for having such a brave and strong steed.’

Very proud? How can anybody feel “very proud” for even participating in such an event? Looking at these pictures absolutely mortifies me and makes me very angry and very sad. Regardless of how you feel about animals, there is in no way fathomable that either of these incidents could be considered justifiable, much less “entertainment.” This is cruelty plain and simple.

Nothing about either of these is “sport.” In true sports, both sides are of equal strength and species, both know the rules, and both parties voluntarily participate. I don’t know how anyone can say these animals volunteered for any such thing. This is just wrong. In. So. Many. Ways.

This really hurts my heart.

***UPDATE***

Another story today from the Daily Mail, via Drudge.

A bear struggles to retain its balance while gripping the two metal hoops, which look more like shackles than acrobatics equipment, as a wildlife park worker looks on and laughs.

This is just the latest shocking picture to emerge from the Animal Olympic Games which is being held in China, a country with a shameful animal rights record.

Chimpanzees are forced to play basketball and apparently lift huge weights, while a docile brown bear is dressed in a tutu while navigating a makeshift obstacle course in one of the strangest events ever to be staged.

The photographs are published for the first time today following outrage at earlier images which showed kangaroos being forced to take part in boxing matches with their supposed keepers and a monkey cycling while tied by the collar to the children’s bike.

Other events at the ‘games’ include a sea lion high jump and a tug of war between an elephant and members of the audience, with more than 300 animals taking part.

The forth of the biannual events at the Shanghai Wildlife Park has attracted thousands of visitors, including rapturous school children, but has provoked outrage and serious concerns among animal rights groups the world over.

And the ‘cruelty Olympics’ are being held just before the human Olympics take place in Beijing. The Captive Animals’ Protection Society will be writing to the Chinese Ambassador in London to complain about the event.

Craig Redmond, the UK based campaigns manager, said: “The abuse of the animals is clear. The bears, for example, will be very distressed at being forced to wear muzzles, chained and made to fight.

“The macaque money is chained and the kangaroo has a harness too. The things these animals are being made to do are not natural acts, and there will no doubt be cruelty involved in making them perform these tricks.”

This is just absolutely insane. I’m no PETA nut, but some things just aren’t right. This is one of them.

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