I watched a programme on public TV last night. It was about sharks. There are literally hundreds of species, especially off the coastal waters of Australia. Many are very docile and harmless. I left the room for a minute and then returned to the programme to find seamen butchering sharks, cutting off and keeping the fins and throwing the still alive sharks back into the water! I don't know which country was depicted on this piece of film but I was sickened and horrified! Wish I was younger - Greenpeace sounds good!!
Shark fin soup anyone?
This is one of the many horfific and cruel things that man is perpetuating on wild life. Man also leave live rhinos(with severed horns) as the rhino horn is an ancient medicine in the orient) lay with their horns severered, they kill gorillas just for their hands and feet(ahtrays). They kill tigers just for their internal organs...genitels in particular because there are many cultures that consider them good for fertility and verility. I find it sickening, and horrifying and a clear-cut showing of man's ignorance...let's not forget killing elephants for tusks..turtles are pushed to the brink of extinction for soup...open a can of campbell's for God's sake!!!Should I keep going or are you disgusted enough. Snake charmers(men who claim to be) rip out the fangs and poison glands of the cobras, so they are really in no danger and besides the fact that the snake is in pain, they can never survive in the wild again. How about rattlesnake round-ups....these snakes are treated in a very inhumane and cruel manner Snakes are essential to out environement. The best indicator as to the health of the eco-sysytem is frogs..snakes eat frogs..boy we sure are a smart lot..us humans..this is a real touchy subject for me.. Then there is the south ameriacan sun bear..they steal the babies after killing the mother...throw it in a tiny cage and barely feed it enough to keep it alive ..then a tourist comes along and picks which one of these poor little creatures will be roasted alive for dinner...or canned hunts...anyone evr hear of them...or cock fights, or dog fights...I'll stop
I always knew of some of the horrors you mention, but not all of them. I feel quite ill now and powerless. I will, however, always protect animals and bring to book any cruelty that I encounter and support the causes that are trying to eradicate the carnage. It's still not enough I fear.
poor as I am, I can always find a little to send to all wildlife organizations that contact me for a donation. What really pleases me is seeing celebrities get involved because they have the big names and the big bucks to bring publicity to the atrocities. Makes me want to cry(and I sometimes do) when I think of all the horrors that go outside my little corner of the world. On more than one occasion I have reported people to the appropriate agencies when I see any form of abuse..whether it be to the elderly, to children, or to animals. I'm the local snitch when it comes to that sort of stuff, and proud to be so.
sandy
Sandy I concur and we would make a great pair of snitches - let's put an end to apathy!!
I totally agree..Louisa..we need people to bring these atrocities into the light.Many people are unaware of what goes on, and that only helps allow it to continue. Just as public outcry has helped with preserving rainforests and saving habitat, we also must be aware in order to preserve the species that exist in those parts of the world that we have little or knowledge of.
Sandy
An intense subject for you - me also. Another one is global warming. I wonder how many of our creatures are dying now because of the high temps and lack of water. It will be interesting to see what ensues after the big G8 meeting!! It might even be over by now as I haven't watched the news in a couple of days.