December 2007 Archives
"To be radical is to grasp the root of the matter. But, for man, the root is man himself." - Karl Marx
As the poaching of rhinos for so-called medicinal purposes has been documented as far back as 2,000 years ago, it clearly has a cultural stronghold in China. Perhaps it is a practice that is passed down through generations via familial "apprenticeships." How then, to disrupt this flow of misinformation?
Perhaps one way is to locate the practitioners and connect with the younger generation. Surely there are Chinese wildlife advocates who would be qualified to develop and administer such a program in a culturally-sensitive manner. Their mighty task would be to reach out to the areas where the "medicines" are being "formulated."
Now, for every practitioner who ceases the use of rhino horn, turns over their horn-derived concoctions, and acts as an informant against rhino-horn-using peers, they receive a reward, either monetary or something determined to be of extraordinary value. (Other than rhino horn.)
An educational component would need to be in place, demonstrating the superiority of aspirin, etc., as an effective pain reliever and fever reducer.
It is highly unlikely that such a program would be undertaken by any government, so again, this would fall to conservation groups and private sponsors. Perhaps the drug companies would like to sponsor this project: They would be heroes for donating their products in the name of such a noble cause.
It is possible that by addressing the rhino horn problem in this way, the demand may eventually become extinct - instead of the rhinoceros.
As the poaching of rhinos for so-called medicinal purposes has been documented as far back as 2,000 years ago, it clearly has a cultural stronghold in China. Perhaps it is a practice that is passed down through generations via familial "apprenticeships." How then, to disrupt this flow of misinformation?
Perhaps one way is to locate the practitioners and connect with the younger generation. Surely there are Chinese wildlife advocates who would be qualified to develop and administer such a program in a culturally-sensitive manner. Their mighty task would be to reach out to the areas where the "medicines" are being "formulated."
Now, for every practitioner who ceases the use of rhino horn, turns over their horn-derived concoctions, and acts as an informant against rhino-horn-using peers, they receive a reward, either monetary or something determined to be of extraordinary value. (Other than rhino horn.)
An educational component would need to be in place, demonstrating the superiority of aspirin, etc., as an effective pain reliever and fever reducer.
It is highly unlikely that such a program would be undertaken by any government, so again, this would fall to conservation groups and private sponsors. Perhaps the drug companies would like to sponsor this project: They would be heroes for donating their products in the name of such a noble cause.
It is possible that by addressing the rhino horn problem in this way, the demand may eventually become extinct - instead of the rhinoceros.
You can track the progress of the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2007 here.
Refer to the historical information of previous related bills, and you will be saddened to see that none of them have passed.
Please take a moment to take action on this very important issue.
Refer to the historical information of previous related bills, and you will be saddened to see that none of them have passed.
Please take a moment to take action on this very important issue.
Well, the humans are at it again. Or rather, they have never stopped being "at it" ... killing senselessly. Even paying big money to do so.
I first learned about "canned hunts" when I located a snippet about Marc Ecko purchasing a pair of white rhinos at an auction (a private zoo could no longer afford to keep them) to save them from one of these so-called "hunts."
You can learn about this appalling practice at the Humane Society page.
Yep, these morons with money shoot tame animals (rhinos are popular) in a confined space at close range.
Contact your US representative and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 3829, the Sportmanship Act of 2007, to halt the interstate traffic of exotic animals for the purpose of hunting or trophy collecting. The HSUS has a form to fill out that automatically sends a letter you can edit here.
I first learned about "canned hunts" when I located a snippet about Marc Ecko purchasing a pair of white rhinos at an auction (a private zoo could no longer afford to keep them) to save them from one of these so-called "hunts."
You can learn about this appalling practice at the Humane Society page.
Yep, these morons with money shoot tame animals (rhinos are popular) in a confined space at close range.
Contact your US representative and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 3829, the Sportmanship Act of 2007, to halt the interstate traffic of exotic animals for the purpose of hunting or trophy collecting. The HSUS has a form to fill out that automatically sends a letter you can edit here.
In my online journey to learn more about rhinos, I discovered a most informative and interesting site - Ultimate Ungulate.
Everything you want to know about the hoof is available, so pay them a visit - fascinating stuff!
Everything you want to know about the hoof is available, so pay them a visit - fascinating stuff!
I discovered a terrific site - Black Rhino Foundation. It's an organization devoted to the Black Rhino, and they have quite an impressive list of accomplishments.
The Rhino Resource Center is a superb information site! I recently discovered their image gallery. There are so many photos - lots of them are CUTE (there, I couldn't help myself) ... but I am compelled to share ...
As a newcomer to the rhino community, I have learned that in order to make rhinos a part of your every day life, there is also tragedy and sadness. For example, I had quite a frightening experience in my first visit to the RRC's image gallery.
There I was, clicking the thumbnails, not realizing that some of the photos were gruesome. At first, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, that somehow, the image wasn't real ... How could anyone stand over a murdered rhino and smile, as if they've "accomplished" something grand?
My new method of viewing the gallery is: 1) glance at the thumbnail; 2) do not enlarge the thumbnail unless I am 100% sure it's going to be ... a live rhino in what appears to be comfortable surroundings.
Fortunately, there are lots of happy photos to view :) ... so check it out!
As a newcomer to the rhino community, I have learned that in order to make rhinos a part of your every day life, there is also tragedy and sadness. For example, I had quite a frightening experience in my first visit to the RRC's image gallery.
There I was, clicking the thumbnails, not realizing that some of the photos were gruesome. At first, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, that somehow, the image wasn't real ... How could anyone stand over a murdered rhino and smile, as if they've "accomplished" something grand?
My new method of viewing the gallery is: 1) glance at the thumbnail; 2) do not enlarge the thumbnail unless I am 100% sure it's going to be ... a live rhino in what appears to be comfortable surroundings.
Fortunately, there are lots of happy photos to view :) ... so check it out!
Still exploring the International Rhino Keepers Association website ... there is a good collection of news bits here.
Some of the rhino news is sad - consider yourself warned. But there is good news, too!
Some of the rhino news is sad - consider yourself warned. But there is good news, too!
I am really enjoying the International Rhino Keepers Association website - http://www.rhinokeepersassociation.org
The enrichment information is particularly endearing to me. I love picturing the rhinos playing with items such as boomer balls and bamboo wind chimes! There is one photo of a rhino playing with what looks like a "tether ball" - I hope there will be more photos soon.
The latest issue of their newsletter, "The Crash", has an informative and entertaining account from a keeper who had the opportunity to spend time with the Sumatran Rhinos at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Can't believe I wrote this without using the word "cute"! :)
The enrichment information is particularly endearing to me. I love picturing the rhinos playing with items such as boomer balls and bamboo wind chimes! There is one photo of a rhino playing with what looks like a "tether ball" - I hope there will be more photos soon.
The latest issue of their newsletter, "The Crash", has an informative and entertaining account from a keeper who had the opportunity to spend time with the Sumatran Rhinos at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Can't believe I wrote this without using the word "cute"! :)
I like to keep an eye on the analytics reports for savingrhinos.org. The other day, I saw a search query I didn't like one bit: Rhino Horn Jambiyas. That is a knife handle made out of rhino horn, and it is Yemen that has been fueling part of the demand for rhino horn in order to make these useless things. More absurd superstition surrounding the rhino's horn. (In fact, it is simply superstition and the proverbial "old wives tales" that drive all rhino poaching activities, i.e., a so-called "ingredient" in "traditional Chinese medicine." No medical evidence whatsoever supports this barbaric nonsense.)
Anyway, it is chilling to think that someone is "out there" looking for these horrid things. Did they want to purchase one? Did they want to obtain it for an online auction? If they can't find one "ready-made" online, where will they turn next?
I do not think that this searcher was looking for rhino-friendly information. This is because they immediately clicked away from the home page of the web site (not the typical visitor, who our analytics tells us views several pages per visit).
If this person was doing rhino-friendly research, our reports would have shown that they stayed long enough to locate the word "jambiya", nearly at the end of the home page, and most likely clicked at least one more page to locate additional information about the topic, for example, the FAQ page (the second most-visited page on our site, next to the home page).
Anyway, it is chilling to think that someone is "out there" looking for these horrid things. Did they want to purchase one? Did they want to obtain it for an online auction? If they can't find one "ready-made" online, where will they turn next?
I do not think that this searcher was looking for rhino-friendly information. This is because they immediately clicked away from the home page of the web site (not the typical visitor, who our analytics tells us views several pages per visit).
If this person was doing rhino-friendly research, our reports would have shown that they stayed long enough to locate the word "jambiya", nearly at the end of the home page, and most likely clicked at least one more page to locate additional information about the topic, for example, the FAQ page (the second most-visited page on our site, next to the home page).
The first t-shirt design I wanted to get out on the market was the Javan Rhino. Most people have never heard of the Javan Rhino, and certainly aren't aware of its critical situation. I drew a Javan Rhino to be featured prominently on the front of the shirts. I also wanted to include the population distribution, but didn't want the design to be cluttered.
My husband Andy gave me a great suggestion based on Grateful Dead tour shirts (he has alot of experience in this area!), which had the tour artwork on the front of the t-shirt, and the tour map on the back of the t-shirt. Brilliant!
The drawing tool that I used was my fabulous 9 x 12 Wacom tablet, along with Adobe Illustrator. Drawing the rhino felt natural to me; I've been doodling animal cartoons since I was 4 years old. I definitely took creative liberties with the map on the back of the shirt in order to show both NPs in the artwork without too many distractions.
The sale of the shirts raise money for us to contribute to the Javan Rhino projects, and when people wear the shirts, they will help us raise awareness, and inspire others to participate in this critical conservation effort.
My husband Andy gave me a great suggestion based on Grateful Dead tour shirts (he has alot of experience in this area!), which had the tour artwork on the front of the t-shirt, and the tour map on the back of the t-shirt. Brilliant!
The drawing tool that I used was my fabulous 9 x 12 Wacom tablet, along with Adobe Illustrator. Drawing the rhino felt natural to me; I've been doodling animal cartoons since I was 4 years old. I definitely took creative liberties with the map on the back of the shirt in order to show both NPs in the artwork without too many distractions.
The sale of the shirts raise money for us to contribute to the Javan Rhino projects, and when people wear the shirts, they will help us raise awareness, and inspire others to participate in this critical conservation effort.
A few weeks ago, my husband Andy brought something horrifying to my attention: Mounted rhino horns available on the very popular Internet auction site (I think we all know who this is). Not only that, this item was bringing in bids over $10,000 USD.
Of course, the site posts its policies about the auction of endangered species products - and it is expressly against their policies to attempt to sell these items. However, it appears that there are sellers who do not abide by these rules. And there are probably too many items being posted for the company to review everything. The site asks that you report any endangered species products to them so they can investigate; they have an easy process for this that takes just a few clicks to send the item number.
So followed the instructions and we reported the item number, and received an email that it was being "looked into." Unfortunately, the item remained up for auction. Since the auction site does make money based on the sales price of the item, I wonder if they left the item up because of the dollar amount. (If so, perhaps they should amend their "policy" to include something like "except if our huge business is going to make even more heaps of money by selling the item"!)
We need to keep a more watchful eye on what is out on the market via these auctions and bring attention to this disturbing behavior. By doing so, we can help ensure that the policy is enforced. So please help us locate and report the auction of illegal endangered species products.
Of course, the site posts its policies about the auction of endangered species products - and it is expressly against their policies to attempt to sell these items. However, it appears that there are sellers who do not abide by these rules. And there are probably too many items being posted for the company to review everything. The site asks that you report any endangered species products to them so they can investigate; they have an easy process for this that takes just a few clicks to send the item number.
So followed the instructions and we reported the item number, and received an email that it was being "looked into." Unfortunately, the item remained up for auction. Since the auction site does make money based on the sales price of the item, I wonder if they left the item up because of the dollar amount. (If so, perhaps they should amend their "policy" to include something like "except if our huge business is going to make even more heaps of money by selling the item"!)
We need to keep a more watchful eye on what is out on the market via these auctions and bring attention to this disturbing behavior. By doing so, we can help ensure that the policy is enforced. So please help us locate and report the auction of illegal endangered species products.
A long time ago, let's call it 1980, I was in high school and had a boyfriend who was totally obsessed with the band AC/DC, the Bon Scott days. And I really like the albums up to and including Highway to Hell. But let's save that debate for another time.
We were going to Great America (I don't know what it's called now) and he wanted to wear matching t-shirts. He had this idea to have these t-shirts made that were black, and they had a bowtie imprinted near the collar, you know, because Angus had the tie thing going, and then under the tie on one of the shirts, it says "Angus" and on the other shirt under the tie, it says "Bon." So we wore these t-shirts out in public, all day long, to Great America.
I was "Bon."
We were going to Great America (I don't know what it's called now) and he wanted to wear matching t-shirts. He had this idea to have these t-shirts made that were black, and they had a bowtie imprinted near the collar, you know, because Angus had the tie thing going, and then under the tie on one of the shirts, it says "Angus" and on the other shirt under the tie, it says "Bon." So we wore these t-shirts out in public, all day long, to Great America.
I was "Bon."
When I was around 12 or 13 years old, I got a t-shirt from my dentist's office that I thought was hilarious. It had a toothbrush on it and it said "I do it at least 14 times a week."
What a punk.
Before that, when "The Hustle" (it's a disco song from the 70's, for those of you who don't know) was big, I had a t-shirt that simply said "Hustle." I also had the Toni Tenille hairdo (another 70's reference).
I thought the bulldog was really cute.
What a punk.
Before that, when "The Hustle" (it's a disco song from the 70's, for those of you who don't know) was big, I had a t-shirt that simply said "Hustle." I also had the Toni Tenille hairdo (another 70's reference).
I thought the bulldog was really cute.
I take notice of t-shirts. Perhaps that's why I enjoy designing them. If I wear a t-shirt (or sweatshirt, whatever) with a message, I expect that others will read the message and learn a little something about me. In the case of the rhino t-shirts, I hope people will see the shirts and become interested in rhino conservation. Anyway, I generally don't wear anything offensive.
But not everyone takes such care with their t-shirt message. For example, the other day, I saw this guy wearing a black t-shirt with the silhouette of a handgun and the words "green piece."
