BRICKBATS ON THE MONKEY ARMY

"We have a couple of hawks near us that keep the pigeons away. The theory is great but.....
Last experience I had with monkeys was when one of them nicked my sunglasses whilst I was eating breakfast by the Limpopo river in Northern Kruger. Don't trust the monkeys!! "

"The people organizing this whole thing aren't exactly masters of public relations, are they?...If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys!"

These are just a few of the several comments, critiquing and ridiculing the idea of having langurs deployed for the protection of athletes from animals in the to-be-soon-held Commonwealth Games. These comments are in response to the news report that appeared today on www.telegraph.co.uk on the same topic.

In my earlier blog, I had expressed my appreciation for the unique 'monkey' idea, after reading the same report. However, as I scrolled down to read further, I was shocked to note how badly and sarcastically the initiative had been panned by an alarming majority of people.

I wondered why exactly it was that the majority had been so unanimous in their treating it as a joke and rendering it almost useless. Was it because criticising the Games has become a fashion? Or was it because the animal menace was being treated so differently, by using monkeys against the monkeys(among other animals) themselves?
If it is the former case, my advice would be to just wait and watch.Do have faith in it.As a layperson, it is easy to sit back and be critical about each and everything the Government is doing. The experts must have thought of something before implementing it.
If it is the second case, it should suffice to know that the langurs are well trained and no stray langurs have been picked off the street.I have also mentioned in my previous blog, about how efficiently and successfully animals are used to protect from other animals, for instance, protecting livestock and farms from attacks of other animals. If nobody has been critical of those( there's no reason to be really!) and taken them for granted, why then, are people acting as if this is a whole new alien concept?

Yes, India may be taking a huge chance by introducing the animal guards in a mega international event. For that matter, no venture be it tried and tested or not could be entirely risk-free, especially if it concerns the entire world. You never know, India may be setting a trend, which others may appreciate and follow later on.
Simultaneously however, there's a greater responsibility on the Organising Committee's shoulders to take extremely good care of the langurs who have been entrusted with a huge task.

On an optimistic note, I wish this new venture the very best and do hope the critiques to be patient rather than giving it an instant thumbs down.

New CWG Volunteers:Langur Monkeys



Image Courtesy: thesun.co.uk


Amidst much Commonwealth Games bashing that is so prevalent everywhere, here is an innovative step being  being taken by the Organising Committee to tackle the animal menace at the Games Village. Trained langur monkeys have been employed to keep away stray dogs, wild monkeys and snakes, away from the site.

These langurs have been trained well for their job and their intelligence and aggressive temperament suits their job profile well in keeping the Village site animal-free(previously, there had been many incidents reported about the stray animals being the unwelcome and dangerous intruders). They would be the 'strict big brothers'  (literally too because the intruder wild rhesus monkeys are their monkey cousins) and hopefully their animal instincts would be an effective tool to keep away unwelcome animal intruders at bay.

The method deployed may be new and it is indeed unique and I say this in a positive way. After all, animals have always proven themseves to be efficient guards, be it protecting against humans or even against other animals. I certainly have full faith in the method being utilised and wish it all the best.

Pink Shock

(Image Courtesy:CBBC-Newsround, RSPCA)
Natasha Gregory and the pink cat Oi!Kitty

A pink coloured cat walking happily on the street. What would your first reaction to it be? The first specimen of a new species of a cat or one straight out of a fairy tale?

Actually it is neither. It is a pet cat that was dyed in pink, by its owner, out of affection. A few days back, in London, Natasha Gregory, a 22 year old, mother of two, admitted to dying her pet cat, Oi!Kitty pink, using food colouring thanks to her love for the colour 'pink'.

I was left gaping in shock after reading this. Yes, the idea of a pink cat is cute as long as it is restricted to the pages of a fiction comic book/story or to a television cartoon (and apparently Natasha WAS inspired by a popular 'pink cat' cartoon character), but to carry forward your sentiments with your favourite cartoon and favourite colour into real life in this way, is simply too much.
At least in the case of fiction stories and animated movies, 'animals were not harmed in the process', but  actually trying to realize such strangest of fantasies in real life could have disastrous consequences. If Natasha had indeed always imagined of being the proud owner of a pink cat, she should have rather purchased a pink toy cat, rather than risking the health of her cat, by dyeing it pink. In doing so, there was a high chance of her harming the cat in the process.
The red food colouring used was non-toxic and safe for edible purposes, but it was never intended for animal use, it had never been tested on animals. So you never know what chemicals, it could contain that could be unfit for cat fur.
After dying it pink, the cat may be looking more sweet and cuddly, but imagine how it could lead to a skin/fur problem in the cat. The cat is not going to speak for itself. Humans have to understand.
Unfortunately,the problem is that experts have found that it would be impossible to restore the original colour of the cat. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that Oi!Kitty, in spite of this experimentation remains in the pink of health!

Pigeons Faster Than Technology

Image Courtesy: picsdigger.com

A few days back, an interesting bit of news startled me. We talk so much about how technology has overtaken everything else in our lives. And here was this piece of news that told otherwise. Nature in the form of pigeons had overtaken technology (in the form of broadband) in a race! It was found that Rory, the homing pigeon travelled faster than the internet broadband in delivering a message.

That proves it. 'Nature' technology may be more efficient than man-made technology and apart from being more economical and non-polluting, as in the case of these homing pigeons. In fact, there are groups that still count on homing pigeons, as one of the means to earn their income, even in today's times of fast paced technology. One such family is that of the Ashars in Mumbai and they have not just been into homing in on pigeons since generations. They have also been taking good care of them, providing timely vaccinations, fooding and comfortable shelter and refuge from dogs and cats in the kabutarkhana.

The practice of using homing pigeons to deliver messages is ancient. In recent times, there has been a debate on whether pigeons are 'qualified' enough to be used as opposed to e-mail and telephone, especially by the higher authorities.

Pigeons and internet have their own advantages and limitations respectively. If pigeons can fall prey to hawks and hunters, the Net connection, too comes with its own set of risks such as a Net Virus, hacking and the computer crashing. For instance, pigeons have been found to be extremely reliable during natural calamities like cyclones and even during wars. At the same time, there's a risk of them getting caught in the process. In May, this year, a Pakistani pigeon was arrested by Indian security officials for alleged spying. For that matter, even technology may fail during a natural turbulence or an internet spying attempt through hacking may be de-coded and failed.

In light of the various advantages that homing pigeons have over Internet, their use should not be made completely obsolete and can be considered in certain delivery cases, if not all. Nothing comes with complete guarantee. Not even technology.

India-Best in Tiger Conservation?

Courtesy:ecolocalizer.com

Recently, India was adjudged to be the most dedicated towards tiger conservation by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
This is indeed a matter of great pride for us Indians. It is also really encouraging, considering the many projects, programs, plans, campaigns and strategies by the Indian Government that have been put to action in the past and being continued to be done so in the present and future, for the sake of protecting the tiger. These have been successful too. A recent research showed that India fared better in tiger conservation and tiger population, in comparison to other Asian countries. So kudos to the tiger protection efforts in the country!
But if that were really the complete truth, what was the hue and cry about saving the tiger (only 1411 left in India) all about? Why was Aircel, WWF and other NGOs and governmental organisations shouting themseves hoarse about protecting the tigers? Why is it that they became such an endangered species?

The fact remains that although India does have the best of plans and policies in terms of both quantity and quality, they are yet to be implemented with the requisite level of success. Red tapism, corruption and bureacracy act as huge hinderances to obtain the desired results. That is why problems such as poaching, habitat destruction and social conflicts among villagers cannot be effectively handled and continue to be a threat to the tiger population.

Yes, the plans have been instrumental in bringing about some progress in tiger conservation. But we are far from attaining the goal. That can only be done through stricter and more serious execution of the plans.

DOCTOR PETS



Courtesy:personal.smartt.com

After looking at pets as shoppers and as teachers, I now look at them as healers in the third part of my 'pet series'. My! It never struck me that pets could don so many different avatars (till I actually sat to think about it) and so successfully at that! The idea of pets as healers triggered off when I came across an article today on 'Llama therapy'.  I had heard about animals like dogs, cats, birds, fish, dolphin, etc being used in animal therapy.But the concept of using exotic pets such as llamas in healing was somewhat new to me.Llama therapy is extremely effective. The llama's loveable, gentle and friendly nature can contribute a lot to the well being of the specially abled, autistic, children and elders.
What made the llama stand out in comparison to other therapy animals was that apart from having really soft fur (stroking the wool has an immense therapeutic effect), it also has soft pads instead of hooves, so it's unlikely for the patients to get hurt if a llama steps on their feet. Llamas are also hypoallergenic, so they won't cause an allergy in the people they interact with. So, I was indeed impressed with this form of therapy.
 Even the other forms of pet therapy, using the more conventional animals have a high success rate.Human beings would instantly respond to the unconditional warmth and affection, displayed by the animals that would be beneficial for their growth and development physically, mentally and emotionally, as numerous cases have shown.

However, meaningful benefit can only be derived, if appropriate care is taken. Caution has to be taken against any form of pet abuse. Also, since therapy pets are frequently taken to visit hospitals, there's a high risk of the animals getting infected.Hence, adequate health precautions for the animals should be taken, without fail.
As a kind of solution to the problem above, Japan introduced robotic pet therapy in 2005, in the form of Paro, an interactive robotic pet (below) that looked like a baby seal. It performed the same functions as a live therapy animal minus its disadvantages such as the risk of getting infected and requiring low maintenance.


Courtesy:Worms and Germs Blog

  Yet, I feel a machine cannot substitute the real, in terms of emotion and bonding, no matter how much it resembles the real animal and regardless of the other advantages it has over the 'live' pet therapy.

Pet therapy may have its own risks and disadvantages, but on the whole, it is very effective, natural (where pets can do the trick, why depend on drugs and medicines) and will definitely bring a smile to anybody's face!

CLASSROOM PETS

Image Courtesy:www.hsus.org

My earlier blog was essentially on pets and the market (purchases). This one is on pets and the classroom. The idea struck me when I came across an interesting online article, today about 'classroom pets'. So you could call it part 2 of my 'pet series'! After all pets are important components of our lives (that is, of those who have them and also of  those who really wish to have them).

The article was about how having animals in primary school classes was a good idea to teach children about potent values of empathy, compassion and responsibility.
I agree with this. Having animals like guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters and even rats, mice, fish, etc is a fun way to instil these requisite values. But it's not just about having them as ornaments, but as living creatures to be cared for. The article rightly points out that teaching kids the sense of responsibility(for pets in the classroom) would come by showing them how to keep the pets clean, their cages clean, being sensitive to their likes and dislikes, making sure that somebody takes care of them when school is not in session, maintaining records, etc. The teacher himself has to lead by example, by doing all this and making the students do the same under his supervision.

This apart, there are other precautions and concerns to be kept in mind while keeping pets in the classroom.
First, based on the classroom environment, a suitable pet(s) must be selected. Following this, there is a need for the teacher, the school authorities and the class representatives to understand the habits, behaviour and the needs of the animal and should always have ready resources to tend to them.
Other factors also need to be taken into account like taking care of the parents' attitudes (some parents are not comfortable with the idea of having their children studying with animals, no matter how small, in the vicinity).Also, if adequate caution is not taken, it may lead to utter chaos. For instance, as having a rat let loose and uncontrolleable in the class would. Next, there are the 'allergic' factors. A child may be allergic to a particular animal or vice-versa, the pet animal could be allergic to some climatic conditions or some food. So, these need to be looked into, as well.

There's loads that could be learnt and that too in an enjoyeable way by keeping pets in the class.After all, it would be too theoretical and boring to keep reading about moral values through textbooks. Through practical exposure with pets, the 'emotional' knowledge gets in better. But one can only make the most out of it, if the rules are followed. Or else, the consequences would be unfavourable for both the children and the animals.

In that case, it would be better not to have the pets in the class at all. Morality could still be taught through the animals to the children by say, taking them out for a weekly excursion to a farmhouse, where they could devote an entire day to playing and taking care of the farm animals. And needless to say, under expert adult supervision!

PET LUXURIES:HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?



Image courtesy:neatorama.com

 A very cute doggy in the lap of luxury and proper table manners! He is seated on a pup high chair, designed to truly make him feel part of the family at the dinner table.Noble thought, but what exactly must the pup be going through to be in that pose for the whole duration of his meal? 

This is only one among a host of other pet products and services that have been invented for the well being of our dear pets. They are all innovative. Some of them are actually beneficial, while others (like the one above) are simply ridiculous. The latter seem to be more apt for people's amusement rather than the pet's comfort. Imagine having a heavy $3,000 Swarovski crystalled dress adorning a pet dog (yes, there are takers for it!). That would attract a lot of oohs and aahs of admiration from the human spectators but would also invite oohs and aahs of (unheard) discomfort from the pet.

 A few days back, a new four million dollar Spa Paws hotel for pets opened up near Dallas. With a cost of $200 a night, it has many luxury amenities to boast of. These include ''upholstered beds with satin blankets'', facials, flat screen TVs, photo sessions with the pets donning funny dresses and hair dos, etc. Likewise, a new pet spa called Jet Pet Resort would be opening up in Vancouver next week and has an array of dog and cat luxuries lined up like plasma TVs, limousine pick and drop facilities, massages and other spa services. The difference between Spa Paws and Jet Pet is that while the former exclusively caters to the high ended customer, the latter has a broader range of  tariffs to accomodate people with varying budgets.

I do like some of the amenities of Jet Pet though. Having webcams installed in the pets' rooms would come as a great relief to the concerned owner who is away on a tour and would like to actually see how his pet is doing. Having infra red therapeutic beds for older dogs and cats suffering from arthiritis and having anti-bacterial sheep-skin mats and massages for all in general are also good, hygienic and relevant options.But I also wonder, what would happen once their owners return to take back home their pets. The pets would have been spoilt for choice and would have to adapt again to their homely surroundings!

But when it comes to limos, plasma TVs, facials,satin,mobile phones, I simply fail to understand their logic.If one is indeed such an animal lover, wouldn't it make more sense to spend some money on the needs of  homeless and sick dogs and cats on the streets, rather than splurging thousands and over indulging one one's own pets?

It is remarkable how technology has advanced and is coming up with a greater range of services for animals, especially in the domains of health and food. Families owning pets,particularly elderly couples and those without children, have a special fondness for their pets and are willing to spend any amount on them, in a bid to treat them like their own children. All this has led to a boom in pet product business. I appreciate it and believe that if progress is taking place in leaps and bounds for humans, why should animals be left behind? I am only stressing that the development should be sensible and not a joke and for the sake of a show off. One would be causing more harm than good otherwise.

I myself am a dog lover and a proud owner of a Pomeranian dog can relate to the emotional sentiments of a pet owner as he prepares to spend for his pet.But one must know where to draw the line.

INTERESTING ANIMAL ADS-PART 2

Courtesy: ychittaranjan.wordpress.com

In the earlier blog, I looked at animals used in print advertising. Here, I'll be focussing on the TV commercials using animals to convey messages about their products.

Using animals as characters in short ad films, strikes an instant emotional chord with the audience. This coupled with the fact that  TV and films as media have greater popularity than print, ensures that TV commercials featuring animals have tremendous scope in selling a product, service or an idea.
Another reason for its greater popularity is that one is actually seeing the animals move about (or talk, in some cases), the 'cuteness' factor draws you in and makes you remember the ad. Hence, creating a higher brand recall.
Take for instance, the Hutch ad, featuring the cute little pug. His adorably serious facial expressions and habit of following and assisting his owner, the small girl in all her endeavours not only became very popular among the masses, but also led to increase in the number of subscriptions to Hutch service and created more brand loyalty. It also increased the sale of pug puppies across the country.

However, all is not hunky dory about TV commercials vis a vis print. The sunny side of print is that it uses only images of animals,so no animals are injured or harmed in the making of these ads. But since shooting for a TV ad, involves live animals, there is a danger of threatening the animals' interests and causing them harm, while making them perform 'stunts'. Vodafone evoked the wrath of the Animal Welfare Board for insensitive treatment to the pug.

So TV ads can do wonders to the business prospects of the company and also to the image of the animal (in terms of conservation and even the sales). But in doing so, maximum precaution is to be taken to not to hurt the interests of the animals and society.

INTERESTING ANIMAL ADS- PART 1

Now it's time to take a short commercial break!

Animal ads come in all shapes, sizes and forms. Some of these ads relay social messages reagarding animal protection and conservation. In this blog, however, I look specifically at those ads which have innovatively used animals in a very catchy way to grab attention for a seemingly unrelated product or service.

In part 1 of the blog, I explore the print ads of such type. Take a look at this one:

Courtesy: Richworks

This is a Maxima watch ad. It's tagline is 'Toughest watches on the earth'. Clearly, the ad makers have played with the tagline idea and represented the concept of 'toughest' with the depiction of the turtle. The turtle is known to be able to survive for hundreds of years and have strong endurance (to climatic and environmental variables) levels. So the idea was to blend the positive attributes of the turtle with the qualities of the watch, they wish to promote.

Here's another one:

Courtesy: Richworks

Man eat man world? No,in this Financial Times ad, it is shark eat shark! The smallest one being eaten by the medium one. The medium by the larger and the larger by the largest shark. A very innovative way of depicting indepth coverage of 'mergers and acquisitions', by showing the near ruthless 'survival of the fittest' among the sharks in the depths of the ocean much like the business enterprises in the real world.

Using animals in advertising, does indeed attract a lot of attention to the product, thanks to the interesting and creative visuals and an appropriate tagline. What it indirectly also does is draw one's attention to the animal which is being depicted. It may be the shark, the turtle or a bear/lion in a 'power' related ad. In that way, on a larger scale, it is useful for animal welfare programs, especially if it concerns an endangered species.

The advantages apart, care also has to be taken by the copywriter and the company to not showcase the animal in an indecent or inappropriate manner. This is not because the animals' sentiments may be hurt (what they don't know, won't hurt them..as goes a well known saying/dialogue) but ads being a very popular mass medium, they may be instrumental in shaping human attitudes towards them. May be in an adverse and undesirable way!

Protecting The Elephant:A Mammoth Issue

Image Courtesy:theodora.com

The Indian Government decided to declare the elephant to be a National Heritage Animal. Following this, a lot of  developmental plans are in store for elephant conservation. Jairam Ramesh, Union Environment and Forest Minister said,

"We will soon declare the elephant as a national heritage animal, as it has been part of our heritage since ages. We need to give the same degree of importance to elephants, as it is given to tigers in order to protect the big animal" ( DNA India)

India has the largest number of Asian elephants. The central problems involving elephants here include the problem of their habitat loss, illegal killing (and even elephants killing humans) and intolerable conditions suffered by domesticated elephants. Most of these problems are arising out of the human-elephant conflict.

I feel that the key issues that require immediate addressing are poaching for ivory and habitat loss. Many elephants are mercilessly killed every year as their body parts especially tusks are very valuable in the market.
The second grave issue is their habitat loss. It leads to a host of other problems. Their habitats are being destroyed  because of expanding human population and clearing forest lands to construct buildings. Elephants are then forced to encroach upon human territories. As a consequence of that, humans get killed, their crops are destroyed and chaos is created in the villages.Likewise, elephants also face danger. A freely roaming wild elephant in a village, may easily be perceived as a sign of threat by the villagers who may just shoot it for protection.
Habitat loss thus spells disastrous consequences for both humans and elephants.

Today, elephants are an endangered species in India. Hence, the Government's decision is a welcome step. However, prior to this, India was already known to have some of the strictest elephant legislation in Asia (example Project Elephant). Yes, good results were achieved out of it. But the goal hasn't  been attained.Many plans could not be successfully implemented due to corruption and inefficiency.
Secondly, it is great to think of the elephant as a National Heritage Animal. But the follow up action is essential. The tiger has long been a National Heritage Animal, but what's the use if we simultaneously see ad flashes of "ONLY 1411 TIGERS LEFT" by Aircel? Would this be the destined fate of elephants too?

So legislation and honourary 'titles' should be aimed at targetting the root cause of elephant problems and doing something about them. And not just because they look impressive on paper.