At Egypt’s Tourism Gems, Animal Abuse Is an Ugly Flaw
The rampant mistreatment of horses, camels and donkeys at major attractions like the pyramids of Giza has prompted calls for visitors to boycott rides.
CAIRO — A trip to the storied pyramids of Giza was supposed to be a highlight of Noémi Haszon’s Egyptian vacation. But minutes later, the Hungarian tourist had retreated into her tour bus, shaken and revolted by what she had witnessed.
Inside the pyramids complex, emaciated horses panted and strained as they pulled buggies loaded with tourists up a steep slope. Drivers whipped them to make them go faster.
Some horses slipped and stumbled on the smooth tarmac surface. Others had open wounds. Despite the summer heat, there was no water supply.
“I was shocked,” recalled Ms. Haszon. “Those poor horses. It was like another world.”
For years, the sense of wonderment experienced by visitors at Egypt’s great sites, like the pyramids of Giza or the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, has been spoiled by scenes of heart-rending cruelty toward the animals working there.
More and photos at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/13/worl ... 3053090414
pets
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swamidada1
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 9:21 pm
About a decade ago, I was visiting a shop in Jodia Bazaar in Karachi. While standing out side the shop I saw an old senior Makrani Bhai whipping donkey to move forward. I looked at donkey, she was very weak and unable to move, I saw tears rolling down the face of donkey, so weak. When owner of donkey hit hard that poor animal fell on ground. The passers by came to rescue the donkey and unload some packages from cart to ease weight. People gathered there cursed the owner of donkey cart for not feeding the poor animal. Makrani Bhai replied, I am an old man, have to feed my grand children beside this donkey also. There is hunger in my household. I am sorry but what shall I do?
I do believe the animals who help families to earn lively hood should be respected and not whipped.
Poverty and hunger creates frustration and negative thinking. Few days back in Pakistan, a jobless person killed his wife and 3 innocent siblings leaving suicide note that he can't feed his children. What a shame on humanity.
I do believe the animals who help families to earn lively hood should be respected and not whipped.
Poverty and hunger creates frustration and negative thinking. Few days back in Pakistan, a jobless person killed his wife and 3 innocent siblings leaving suicide note that he can't feed his children. What a shame on humanity.
Pit Bull About To Be Adopted Refuses To Leave Shelter Without Tiny Best Friend
As “man’s best friend,” dogs have an innate loyalty that ties them to those they love for as long as they live. Sometimes that loyalty isn’t shared with humans and instead shared with each other. When this energetic pit bull and an ailing chihuahua were brought to the shelter, they went in with nothing but each other. But when someone wanted to adopt the pit bull, her immediate reaction blew everyone away.
And the chihuahua would react the same when the pit bull needed surgery…
Abandoned With No One But Each Other
Merrill, a female pit bull mix, and Taco, a male chihuahua, were handed over to the Rocket Dog Rescue in October 2014. No one at the San Francisco-based rescue knew why Merrill and Taco’s owner gave them up, but they did notice something very particular about the unlikely pair.
Merrill and Taco were inseparable. which led the shelter to want to adopt them out together. But adopting them out as a pair proved to be harder than expected.
Watch slide show at:
https://www.giveitlove.com/pit-bull-abo ... st-friend/
As “man’s best friend,” dogs have an innate loyalty that ties them to those they love for as long as they live. Sometimes that loyalty isn’t shared with humans and instead shared with each other. When this energetic pit bull and an ailing chihuahua were brought to the shelter, they went in with nothing but each other. But when someone wanted to adopt the pit bull, her immediate reaction blew everyone away.
And the chihuahua would react the same when the pit bull needed surgery…
Abandoned With No One But Each Other
Merrill, a female pit bull mix, and Taco, a male chihuahua, were handed over to the Rocket Dog Rescue in October 2014. No one at the San Francisco-based rescue knew why Merrill and Taco’s owner gave them up, but they did notice something very particular about the unlikely pair.
Merrill and Taco were inseparable. which led the shelter to want to adopt them out together. But adopting them out as a pair proved to be harder than expected.
Watch slide show at:
https://www.giveitlove.com/pit-bull-abo ... st-friend/
MSMS says in his Memoirs:swamidada wrote:I was just thinking. Are dogs and bitches like men and women? Are there any resemblances in them. Can pets be called humans?
They eat, drink, bark (there way of talking), play, have intercourse, giving births, taking care of puppies and so on.
"Islamic doctrine goes further than the other great religions, for it proclaims the presence of the soul, perhaps minute but nevertheless existing in an embryonic state, in all existence in matter, in animals, trees, and space itself. Every individual, every molecule, every atom has its own spiritual relationship with the All-Powerful Soul of God. But men and women, being more highly developed, are immensely more advanced than the infinite number of other beings known to us."
http://www.ismaili.net/Source/0016b.html
What Distinguishes Humans from Other Animals?
https://www.livescience.com/33376-human ... ities.html
There's no consensus on the question of what makes us special, or whether we even are. The biggest point of contention is whether our cognitive abilities differ from those of other animals "in kind," or merely in degree. Are we in a class by ourselves or just the smartest ones in our class?
Charles Darwin supported the latter hypothesis. He believed we are similar to animals, and merely incrementally more intelligent as a result of our higher evolution. But according to Marc Hauser, director of the cognitive evolution lab at Harvard University, in a recent article in Scientific American, "mounting evidence indicates that, in contrast to Darwin's theory of a continuity of mind between humans and other species, a profound gap separates our intellect from the animal kind."
Hauser and his colleagues have identified four abilities of the human mind that they believe to be the essence of our "humaniqueness" mental traits and abilities that distinguish us from our fellow Earthlings. They are: generative computation, promiscuous combination of ideas, the use of mental symbols, and abstract thought. [Read: Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind]
1. Generative computation
Humans can generate a practically limitless variety of words and concepts. We do so through two modes of operation recursive and combinatorial. The recursive operation allows us to apply a learned rule to create new expressions. In combinatorial operations, we mix different learned elements to create a new concept.
2. Promiscuous combination of ideas
"Promiscuous combination of ideas," Hauser explained, "allows the mingling of different domains of knowledge such as art, sex, space, causality and friendship thereby generating new laws, social relationships and technologies."
3. Mental symbols
Mental symbols are our way of encoding sensory experiences. They form the basis of our complex systems of language and communication. We may choose to keep our mental symbols to ourselves, or represent them to others using words or pictures.
4. Abstract thought
Abstract thought is the contemplation of things beyond what we can sense.
"This is not to say that our mental faculties sprang fully formed out of nowhere," Hauser wrote. "Researchers have found some of the building blocks of human cognition in other species. But these building blocks make up only the cement foot print of the skyscraper that is the human mind. The evolutionary origins of our cognitive abilities thus remain rather hazy. Clarity is emerging from novel insights and experimental technologies, however."
https://www.livescience.com/33376-human ... ities.html
PUBLISHED ON FEB 05, 2021 07:13 PM IST
The image shows the dog named Sadie.(Faceboook/@Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge)
TRENDING
His adopted dog saved his life when he had a stroke. Here’s what the canine did
By Trisha Sengupta
“What a wonderful girl,” wrote a Facebook user while praising the dog.
Pet parents know all too well that they’ll go any lengths to ensure their furry friends are happy and safe. Also, numerous posts on various social media platforms show that dogs will pretty much do the same when they can. Just like this German shepherd named Sadie who saved her human Brian Myers’ life after he suffered a stroke.
They started by explaining how Myers decided to adopt Sadie who was a nervous rescue and protective with new people. “Brian felt a special bond with Sadie, as he valued her intelligence, hesitancy to trust and fierce loyalty once she did form that trust. Brian gave Sadie a second chance at life, adopting Sadie and welcoming her home,” they wrote while describing the bond between the duo.
The dog also gave a second chance to life to her pet parent. “Last week, Brian suffered a stroke when home alone with Sadie. While he was collapsed, Sadie never left his side. She licked his face to keep him awake, and helped drag him across the room to his cell phone. Sadie was the only reason that Brian was able to call for help. This time, Sadie gave Brian a second chance at life,” they wrote.
The organization concluded the post with a few praiseful lines about the dog. They wrote how Sadie’s devotion and quick thinking helped Myers.
“I was sleeping and I had to use the bathroom in the night. As soon as I stepped on the floor I went down and hit the ground. I couldn’t get back up. I just grabbed on hold of her collar and she started pulling her weight backwards. And with that I was able to slide myself across the floor. Otherwise, I would probably still be laying there. I love her more than I can express. She was there for me in my time of crisis and she knew instinctively what to do somehow. I wouldn’t have gotten up off the floor if she wasn’t there for me,” Myers told CBS2.
Since being shared, the post has gathered tons of comments from people. They shared how they story left them emotional. Many couldn’t stop praising Sadie.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/
The image shows the dog named Sadie.(Faceboook/@Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge)
TRENDING
His adopted dog saved his life when he had a stroke. Here’s what the canine did
By Trisha Sengupta
“What a wonderful girl,” wrote a Facebook user while praising the dog.
Pet parents know all too well that they’ll go any lengths to ensure their furry friends are happy and safe. Also, numerous posts on various social media platforms show that dogs will pretty much do the same when they can. Just like this German shepherd named Sadie who saved her human Brian Myers’ life after he suffered a stroke.
They started by explaining how Myers decided to adopt Sadie who was a nervous rescue and protective with new people. “Brian felt a special bond with Sadie, as he valued her intelligence, hesitancy to trust and fierce loyalty once she did form that trust. Brian gave Sadie a second chance at life, adopting Sadie and welcoming her home,” they wrote while describing the bond between the duo.
The dog also gave a second chance to life to her pet parent. “Last week, Brian suffered a stroke when home alone with Sadie. While he was collapsed, Sadie never left his side. She licked his face to keep him awake, and helped drag him across the room to his cell phone. Sadie was the only reason that Brian was able to call for help. This time, Sadie gave Brian a second chance at life,” they wrote.
The organization concluded the post with a few praiseful lines about the dog. They wrote how Sadie’s devotion and quick thinking helped Myers.
“I was sleeping and I had to use the bathroom in the night. As soon as I stepped on the floor I went down and hit the ground. I couldn’t get back up. I just grabbed on hold of her collar and she started pulling her weight backwards. And with that I was able to slide myself across the floor. Otherwise, I would probably still be laying there. I love her more than I can express. She was there for me in my time of crisis and she knew instinctively what to do somehow. I wouldn’t have gotten up off the floor if she wasn’t there for me,” Myers told CBS2.
Since being shared, the post has gathered tons of comments from people. They shared how they story left them emotional. Many couldn’t stop praising Sadie.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/
Cat Survives Jumping from the Fifth Floor of a Burning Apartment Building: 'Perfect Landing'
Nicholas Rice
People Fri, May 14, 2021, 2:41 PM
Cat Survives Jumping from the Fifth Floor of a Burning Apartment Building: 'Perfect Landing'
A fortunate feline survived an apartment complex fire by jumping out of a fifth-floor window and landing safely on its feet.
On Thursday, Chicago Fire Department personnel shared a video on social media of the blaze they recently responded to at an apartment complex located in the city's Englewood neighborhood. Midway through the clip, a black cat appears in one of the building's open windows, briefly sticking its front paws out before deciding to make a daring jump. Onlookers can be heard gasping as the animal falls down the side of the building.
The video ends with the courageous cat miraculously landing on a patch of grass on all four paws and then bouncing once before running away from those nearby.
The cat was not injured, fire department spokesman Larry Langford told The Guardian, noting that the cat later tried to find its owner.
"It went under my car and hid until she felt better after a couple of minutes and came out and tried to scale the wall to get back in," he said.
"Nine lives for a cat that jumped from a fire at 65th and Lowe. Cat hit grass bounced and walked away!" the city's fire department wrote on Twitter alongside the video of the cat's nervy leap.
Many social media users quickly reacted to the cat cashing in one of its nine lives to escape the fire.
"Perfect landing
," one user tweeted as another said, "Wow!!! One down 8 to go," referring to the popular myth about cats having nine lives.
Meanwhile, another commentator couldn't believe the ordeal was even real. "Am I the only here who thinks there's no way this could be real?" they wrote.
No injuries were reported following the apartment complex fire, which was limited to one apartment, per The Guardian.
Nicholas Rice
People Fri, May 14, 2021, 2:41 PM
Cat Survives Jumping from the Fifth Floor of a Burning Apartment Building: 'Perfect Landing'
A fortunate feline survived an apartment complex fire by jumping out of a fifth-floor window and landing safely on its feet.
On Thursday, Chicago Fire Department personnel shared a video on social media of the blaze they recently responded to at an apartment complex located in the city's Englewood neighborhood. Midway through the clip, a black cat appears in one of the building's open windows, briefly sticking its front paws out before deciding to make a daring jump. Onlookers can be heard gasping as the animal falls down the side of the building.
The video ends with the courageous cat miraculously landing on a patch of grass on all four paws and then bouncing once before running away from those nearby.
The cat was not injured, fire department spokesman Larry Langford told The Guardian, noting that the cat later tried to find its owner.
"It went under my car and hid until she felt better after a couple of minutes and came out and tried to scale the wall to get back in," he said.
"Nine lives for a cat that jumped from a fire at 65th and Lowe. Cat hit grass bounced and walked away!" the city's fire department wrote on Twitter alongside the video of the cat's nervy leap.
Many social media users quickly reacted to the cat cashing in one of its nine lives to escape the fire.
"Perfect landing
," one user tweeted as another said, "Wow!!! One down 8 to go," referring to the popular myth about cats having nine lives.Meanwhile, another commentator couldn't believe the ordeal was even real. "Am I the only here who thinks there's no way this could be real?" they wrote.
No injuries were reported following the apartment complex fire, which was limited to one apartment, per The Guardian.
Heartbreaking video shows the moment an Indian elephant bids farewell to his beloved master who died of cancer
Sophia Ankel
Sat, June 12, 2021, 3:23 AM
Elephant in Indian village bids farewell to trainer
A screenshot of the video showing an elephant bid farewell to Damodaran Nair in Kerala, India, on June 4, 2021. Bijupanoorkaaran via Facebook
A heartbreaking video shows the moment an Indian elephant bid farewell to its long-time trainer.
Damodaran Nair, who took care of elephants in a village in Kerala, died of cancer on June 3.
The elephant paid his last respects to his master by waving his trunk and bowing his head.
A heartbreaking video shows the moment an elephant said goodbye to its long-time master after he died of cancer in Kerala, India, last week, the Indian Express reported.
Damodaran Nair was a so-called "mahout" who took care of elephants in the district of Kottayam for more than six decades. Before his death on June 3, the 74-year-old wanted to see his favorite elephant, Brahamdathan, one last time.
According to the elephant's owner, Rajesh Palattu, the two had been inseparable since meeting 25 years ago, and Nair treated the elephant-like his own son.
"The bond and love between the two, Damodaran Nair and Brahmadathan, was one to watch and emulate," Palattu said, according to Gulf News.
Nair passed away before his dying wish could be fulfilled, but his family made sure Brahamdathan could bid farewell one final time before the funeral.
Footage posted on social media captured the emotional moment, which shows Brahmadattan walking up to Nair's wrapped-up body, which appears to be lying at the entrance of a house.
A crowd of teary-eyed onlookers begins to weep as the elephant touches Nair's body with its trunk before raising and lowering it as if the animal is waving goodbye.
"We were all moved with tears rolling down our cheeks. It was one of the most trying parting moments one could witness," Palattu said, according to Gulf News.
Watch the moment below:
The video has garnered thousands of views on social media.
Traditionally, a mahout receives an elephant early on in its life and trains to keep it by his family. The mahout and elephant remain bonded to each other through their lives.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/he ... 19288.html
Sophia Ankel
Sat, June 12, 2021, 3:23 AM
Elephant in Indian village bids farewell to trainer
A screenshot of the video showing an elephant bid farewell to Damodaran Nair in Kerala, India, on June 4, 2021. Bijupanoorkaaran via Facebook
A heartbreaking video shows the moment an Indian elephant bid farewell to its long-time trainer.
Damodaran Nair, who took care of elephants in a village in Kerala, died of cancer on June 3.
The elephant paid his last respects to his master by waving his trunk and bowing his head.
A heartbreaking video shows the moment an elephant said goodbye to its long-time master after he died of cancer in Kerala, India, last week, the Indian Express reported.
Damodaran Nair was a so-called "mahout" who took care of elephants in the district of Kottayam for more than six decades. Before his death on June 3, the 74-year-old wanted to see his favorite elephant, Brahamdathan, one last time.
According to the elephant's owner, Rajesh Palattu, the two had been inseparable since meeting 25 years ago, and Nair treated the elephant-like his own son.
"The bond and love between the two, Damodaran Nair and Brahmadathan, was one to watch and emulate," Palattu said, according to Gulf News.
Nair passed away before his dying wish could be fulfilled, but his family made sure Brahamdathan could bid farewell one final time before the funeral.
Footage posted on social media captured the emotional moment, which shows Brahmadattan walking up to Nair's wrapped-up body, which appears to be lying at the entrance of a house.
A crowd of teary-eyed onlookers begins to weep as the elephant touches Nair's body with its trunk before raising and lowering it as if the animal is waving goodbye.
"We were all moved with tears rolling down our cheeks. It was one of the most trying parting moments one could witness," Palattu said, according to Gulf News.
Watch the moment below:
The video has garnered thousands of views on social media.
Traditionally, a mahout receives an elephant early on in its life and trains to keep it by his family. The mahout and elephant remain bonded to each other through their lives.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/he ... 19288.html
Modern Zoos Are Not Worth the Moral Cost
After being captives of the pandemic for more than a year, we have begun experiencing the pleasures of simple outings: dining al fresco, shopping with a friend, taking a stroll through the zoo. As we snap a selfie by the sea lions for the first time in so long, it seems worth asking, after our collective ordeal, whether our pleasure in seeing wild animals up close is worth the price of their captivity.
Throughout history, men have accumulated large and fierce animals to advertise their might and prestige. Power-mad men from Henry III to Saddam Hussein’s son Uday to the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar to Charlemagne all tried to underscore their strength by keeping terrifying beasts captive. William Randolph Hearst created his own private zoo with lions, tigers, leopards and more at Hearst Castle. It is these boastful collections of animals, these autocratic menageries, from which the modern zoo, with its didactic plaques and $15 hot dogs, springs.
The forerunners of the modern zoo, open to the public and grounded in science, took shape in the 19th century. Public zoos sprang up across Europe, many modeled on the London Zoo in Regent’s Park. Ostensibly places for genteel amusement and edification, zoos expanded beyond big and fearsome animals to include reptile houses, aviaries and insectariums. Living collections were often presented in taxonomic order, with various species of the same family grouped together, for comparative study.
The first zoos housed animals behind metal bars in spartan cages. But relatively early in their evolution, a German exotic animal importer named Carl Hagenbeck changed the way wild animals were exhibited. In his Animal Park, which opened in 1907 in Hamburg, he designed cages that didn’t look like cages, using moats and artfully arranged rock walls to invisibly pen animals. By designing these enclosures so that many animals could be seen at once, without any bars or walls in the visitors’ lines of sight, he created an immersive panorama, in which the fact of captivity was supplanted by the illusion of being in nature.
Mr. Hagenbeck’s model was widely influential. Increasingly, animals were presented with the distasteful fact of their imprisonment visually elided. Zoos shifted just slightly from overt demonstrations of mastery over beasts to a narrative of benevolent protection of individual animals. From there, it was an easy leap to protecting animal species.
The “educational day out” model of zoos endured until the late 20th century, when zoos began actively rebranding themselves as serious contributors to conservation. Zoo animals, this new narrative went, function as backup populations for wild animals under threat, as well as “ambassadors” for their species, teaching humans and motivating them to care about wildlife. This conservation focus “must be a key component” for institutions that want to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a nonprofit organization that sets standards and policies for facilities in the United States and 12 other countries.
This is the image of the zoo I grew up with: the unambiguously good civic institution that lovingly cared for animals both on its grounds and, somehow, vaguely, in their wild habitats. A few zoos are famous for their conservation work. Four of the zoos and the aquarium in New York City, for instance, are managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is involved in conservation efforts around the world. But this is not the norm.
While researching my book on the ethics of human interactions with wild species, “Wild Souls,” I examined how, exactly, zoos contribute to the conservation of wild animals.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/opin ... 778d3e6de3
After being captives of the pandemic for more than a year, we have begun experiencing the pleasures of simple outings: dining al fresco, shopping with a friend, taking a stroll through the zoo. As we snap a selfie by the sea lions for the first time in so long, it seems worth asking, after our collective ordeal, whether our pleasure in seeing wild animals up close is worth the price of their captivity.
Throughout history, men have accumulated large and fierce animals to advertise their might and prestige. Power-mad men from Henry III to Saddam Hussein’s son Uday to the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar to Charlemagne all tried to underscore their strength by keeping terrifying beasts captive. William Randolph Hearst created his own private zoo with lions, tigers, leopards and more at Hearst Castle. It is these boastful collections of animals, these autocratic menageries, from which the modern zoo, with its didactic plaques and $15 hot dogs, springs.
The forerunners of the modern zoo, open to the public and grounded in science, took shape in the 19th century. Public zoos sprang up across Europe, many modeled on the London Zoo in Regent’s Park. Ostensibly places for genteel amusement and edification, zoos expanded beyond big and fearsome animals to include reptile houses, aviaries and insectariums. Living collections were often presented in taxonomic order, with various species of the same family grouped together, for comparative study.
The first zoos housed animals behind metal bars in spartan cages. But relatively early in their evolution, a German exotic animal importer named Carl Hagenbeck changed the way wild animals were exhibited. In his Animal Park, which opened in 1907 in Hamburg, he designed cages that didn’t look like cages, using moats and artfully arranged rock walls to invisibly pen animals. By designing these enclosures so that many animals could be seen at once, without any bars or walls in the visitors’ lines of sight, he created an immersive panorama, in which the fact of captivity was supplanted by the illusion of being in nature.
Mr. Hagenbeck’s model was widely influential. Increasingly, animals were presented with the distasteful fact of their imprisonment visually elided. Zoos shifted just slightly from overt demonstrations of mastery over beasts to a narrative of benevolent protection of individual animals. From there, it was an easy leap to protecting animal species.
The “educational day out” model of zoos endured until the late 20th century, when zoos began actively rebranding themselves as serious contributors to conservation. Zoo animals, this new narrative went, function as backup populations for wild animals under threat, as well as “ambassadors” for their species, teaching humans and motivating them to care about wildlife. This conservation focus “must be a key component” for institutions that want to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a nonprofit organization that sets standards and policies for facilities in the United States and 12 other countries.
This is the image of the zoo I grew up with: the unambiguously good civic institution that lovingly cared for animals both on its grounds and, somehow, vaguely, in their wild habitats. A few zoos are famous for their conservation work. Four of the zoos and the aquarium in New York City, for instance, are managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is involved in conservation efforts around the world. But this is not the norm.
While researching my book on the ethics of human interactions with wild species, “Wild Souls,” I examined how, exactly, zoos contribute to the conservation of wild animals.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/opin ... 778d3e6de3
World's oldest known animal cave painting found in Indonesia
Nicola Smith
The Telegraph Thu, January 14, 2021
Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia - Maxime Aubert/AFP
In a stunning, secret valley enclosed by limestone mountains on an Indonesian island, archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the world’s oldest known animal cave painting – a life-sized portrayal of an indigenous warty pig, which was made at least 45,500 years ago.
The figurative artwork, painted using red ocher pigment, shows a social interaction between a group of pigs and was first found in December 2017 during a survey led by Basran Burhan, a graduate student at Australia’s Griffith University, after local farmers led him deep inside the Leang Tedongnge cave.
The painting's age, outline for the first time in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday, provides the earliest evidence of human settlement on the island of Sulawesi, a region already considered by some experts to be rich in some of the oldest representational cave art in the world.
Professor Adam Brumm, also an archaeologist at Griffith University and a co-author of the study, told the Telegraph he had been amazed by the “beautiful, vivid portrayal” of the pigs after making the difficult trek to the remote cave.
“The painting depicts a scene and this is very rare in early cave art,” he said. “There is some sort of narrative going on..The artists portrayed [the pigs] as enormously fat and jolly looking. You sit there lost in wonder, pondering the meaning of it and trying to just decipher what the true story was behind it.”
This undated handout photo shows the Leang Tedongnge cave in Sulawesi, Indonesia - ADHI AGUS OKTAVIANA /AFP
The site is only about 40 miles from Makassar, a city of some 1.5 million, but the painting was previously undiscovered because of the forbidding local terrain which is only accessible in the dry season. The isolated Bugis community who live in the valley said Westerners had not ventured there before.
“You have to trek up and up into the limestone mountains along a rough jungle path,” said Mr Brumm, describing how at the top of the mountain his team had to walk through another tunnel-like cave before it emerged into a “spectacular” hidden valley.
He said the painting, which measures 53 by 21 inches, and shows a pig with a short crest of upright hair and horn-like facial warts facing two other partially preserved pigs, provided an insight into the ancient community’s connection with the animal world.
Humans have hunted Sulawesi warty pigs for tens of thousands of years, and they are a key feature of the region's prehistoric artwork, particularly during the Ice Age.
“It really speaks of this ancient and very longstanding spiritual connection with this one particular species of pig,” he said. “It seems to have been the case that the ice-age artists in Sulawesi were bound to the fate and future of this species.”
The age of the artwork was calculated by Maxime Aubert, a dating specialist, who identified a calcite deposit that had formed on top of the painting, then used Uranium-series isotope dating to deduce the deposit was at least 45,500 years old, although it may be older.
The cave paintings also help to inform understanding of early human migrations. The earliest settlers to reach Australia 65,000 years ago would probably have had to cross the islands of Indonesia, known as "Wallacea."
“We hope to find earlier evidence of rock art dating back to around 65,000 years ago,” said Mr Brumm. “There are all sorts of exciting prospects to look for this early art that could have been left by the earliest ancestors of aboriginal people in Australia.”
However, Paul Pettitt, a British archaeologist specialising in the Palaeolithic era, said that while the art was “impressive” that a few issues “give me reservations about the reliability of what they publish.”
His concern lies mainly in the definitive use of “minimum ages” to claim the discovery of the world’s oldest figurative art. The study needed “a little more integrated rigour before we start rewriting prehistory,” he said.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/wo ... 03080.html
Nicola Smith
The Telegraph Thu, January 14, 2021
Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia - Maxime Aubert/AFP
In a stunning, secret valley enclosed by limestone mountains on an Indonesian island, archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the world’s oldest known animal cave painting – a life-sized portrayal of an indigenous warty pig, which was made at least 45,500 years ago.
The figurative artwork, painted using red ocher pigment, shows a social interaction between a group of pigs and was first found in December 2017 during a survey led by Basran Burhan, a graduate student at Australia’s Griffith University, after local farmers led him deep inside the Leang Tedongnge cave.
The painting's age, outline for the first time in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday, provides the earliest evidence of human settlement on the island of Sulawesi, a region already considered by some experts to be rich in some of the oldest representational cave art in the world.
Professor Adam Brumm, also an archaeologist at Griffith University and a co-author of the study, told the Telegraph he had been amazed by the “beautiful, vivid portrayal” of the pigs after making the difficult trek to the remote cave.
“The painting depicts a scene and this is very rare in early cave art,” he said. “There is some sort of narrative going on..The artists portrayed [the pigs] as enormously fat and jolly looking. You sit there lost in wonder, pondering the meaning of it and trying to just decipher what the true story was behind it.”
This undated handout photo shows the Leang Tedongnge cave in Sulawesi, Indonesia - ADHI AGUS OKTAVIANA /AFP
The site is only about 40 miles from Makassar, a city of some 1.5 million, but the painting was previously undiscovered because of the forbidding local terrain which is only accessible in the dry season. The isolated Bugis community who live in the valley said Westerners had not ventured there before.
“You have to trek up and up into the limestone mountains along a rough jungle path,” said Mr Brumm, describing how at the top of the mountain his team had to walk through another tunnel-like cave before it emerged into a “spectacular” hidden valley.
He said the painting, which measures 53 by 21 inches, and shows a pig with a short crest of upright hair and horn-like facial warts facing two other partially preserved pigs, provided an insight into the ancient community’s connection with the animal world.
Humans have hunted Sulawesi warty pigs for tens of thousands of years, and they are a key feature of the region's prehistoric artwork, particularly during the Ice Age.
“It really speaks of this ancient and very longstanding spiritual connection with this one particular species of pig,” he said. “It seems to have been the case that the ice-age artists in Sulawesi were bound to the fate and future of this species.”
The age of the artwork was calculated by Maxime Aubert, a dating specialist, who identified a calcite deposit that had formed on top of the painting, then used Uranium-series isotope dating to deduce the deposit was at least 45,500 years old, although it may be older.
The cave paintings also help to inform understanding of early human migrations. The earliest settlers to reach Australia 65,000 years ago would probably have had to cross the islands of Indonesia, known as "Wallacea."
“We hope to find earlier evidence of rock art dating back to around 65,000 years ago,” said Mr Brumm. “There are all sorts of exciting prospects to look for this early art that could have been left by the earliest ancestors of aboriginal people in Australia.”
However, Paul Pettitt, a British archaeologist specialising in the Palaeolithic era, said that while the art was “impressive” that a few issues “give me reservations about the reliability of what they publish.”
His concern lies mainly in the definitive use of “minimum ages” to claim the discovery of the world’s oldest figurative art. The study needed “a little more integrated rigour before we start rewriting prehistory,” he said.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/wo ... 03080.html
Five-horned ram steals show as Nigerians mark Eid
Tue, July 20, 2021, 10:59 AM
Curious shoppers stopped to see the bizarre animal which was among many others on sale as Muslims prepare for the Islamic holiday also known as Eid El-Kabir in Nigeria.
The video of the five-horned ram has gone viral with some viewers commenting that the animal appears to be wearing a crown similar to the statue of liberty and likening it to mini-god.
"Looking at the number of horns on its head they are five, which is Allah - 'ALLAH,'" said interior designer Usman Abdulrahman.
"I have never seen this kind of a thing before, and it is happening during in a festive period. This is my first time to see that a ram has five horns. God is using this to magnify himself and the good thing is it came at a time that we the Muslims are celebrating," said estate agent Wasiu Salaudeen.
Eid Al-Adha is the second of Islam's two major religious festivals, observed to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah, before Allah replaced Ismail with a ram to be sacrificed instead.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/fi ... 11416.html
Tue, July 20, 2021, 10:59 AM
Curious shoppers stopped to see the bizarre animal which was among many others on sale as Muslims prepare for the Islamic holiday also known as Eid El-Kabir in Nigeria.
The video of the five-horned ram has gone viral with some viewers commenting that the animal appears to be wearing a crown similar to the statue of liberty and likening it to mini-god.
"Looking at the number of horns on its head they are five, which is Allah - 'ALLAH,'" said interior designer Usman Abdulrahman.
"I have never seen this kind of a thing before, and it is happening during in a festive period. This is my first time to see that a ram has five horns. God is using this to magnify himself and the good thing is it came at a time that we the Muslims are celebrating," said estate agent Wasiu Salaudeen.
Eid Al-Adha is the second of Islam's two major religious festivals, observed to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah, before Allah replaced Ismail with a ram to be sacrificed instead.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/fi ... 11416.html
No monkey business allowed: Woman having ‘AFFAIR’ with chimpanzee banned from visiting it at Belgian zoo
21 Aug, 2021 19:54
A Belgian woman has ended up banned from visiting a chimpanzee at Antwerp Zoo after the keepers deemed the two were spending way too much time together. The woman claimed she was having an “affair” with the animal.
The bizarre ‘love story’ made the headlines across Belgian media on Friday, after Antwerp Zoo slapped a restraining order of sorts on Adie Timmermans, a long-standing visitor.
Over the past four years, Timmermans paid weekly visits to the zoo, seeking contact with one particular animal – a 38-year-old chimpanzee called Chita. The two then interacted through the enclosure’s glass, waving and blowing kisses at each other. The woman was devastated by the ban, telling local media in a tearful interview that both she and the animal would suffer from the forced break-up.
“I love that animal and he loves me. I haven’t got anything else. Why do they want to take that away?” she said.
We’re having an affair, I’ll just say.
The zoo, for its part, argued that the way too long human contact – particularly with Timmermans – is harmful for the animal, as it damages Chita’s standing with other chimpanzees of the group it lives with.
“When Chita is constantly busy with visitors, the other monkeys ignore him and don’t consider him part of the group, even though that is important. He then sits on his own outside of visiting hours,” the zoo said.
Timmermans, however, believes the zoo’s move to be unfair, as she argued that the chimpanzee had been actively interacting not only with her, but other visitors as well. “Other dozens of visitors are allowed to make contact. Then why not me?” she wondered.
Chita’s take on the zoo’s decision to forcibly end the relationship with Timmermans was not immediately known.
https://www.rt.com/news/532728-belgium- ... oo-affair/
21 Aug, 2021 19:54
A Belgian woman has ended up banned from visiting a chimpanzee at Antwerp Zoo after the keepers deemed the two were spending way too much time together. The woman claimed she was having an “affair” with the animal.
The bizarre ‘love story’ made the headlines across Belgian media on Friday, after Antwerp Zoo slapped a restraining order of sorts on Adie Timmermans, a long-standing visitor.
Over the past four years, Timmermans paid weekly visits to the zoo, seeking contact with one particular animal – a 38-year-old chimpanzee called Chita. The two then interacted through the enclosure’s glass, waving and blowing kisses at each other. The woman was devastated by the ban, telling local media in a tearful interview that both she and the animal would suffer from the forced break-up.
“I love that animal and he loves me. I haven’t got anything else. Why do they want to take that away?” she said.
We’re having an affair, I’ll just say.
The zoo, for its part, argued that the way too long human contact – particularly with Timmermans – is harmful for the animal, as it damages Chita’s standing with other chimpanzees of the group it lives with.
“When Chita is constantly busy with visitors, the other monkeys ignore him and don’t consider him part of the group, even though that is important. He then sits on his own outside of visiting hours,” the zoo said.
Timmermans, however, believes the zoo’s move to be unfair, as she argued that the chimpanzee had been actively interacting not only with her, but other visitors as well. “Other dozens of visitors are allowed to make contact. Then why not me?” she wondered.
Chita’s take on the zoo’s decision to forcibly end the relationship with Timmermans was not immediately known.
https://www.rt.com/news/532728-belgium- ... oo-affair/
3,000 villagers in India held a feast to mourn a beloved bull that lived with them for 20 years
Matthew Loh
Sun, August 22, 2021, 11:31 PM
India Bull
A bull at a Jal Yatra procession in Ahmedabad, India on 17 June, 2019. SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images
The death of Babuji the bull has sent an entire Indian village into days of mourning.
Around 3,000 villagers held a grand death feast for Babuji on Saturday, as well as funeral rites and social ceremonies, reported The Times of India.
Babuji was considered by some in the village to be the incarnation of a Hindu guardian deity called Nandi.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Ceremonial rites, cremation, and a grand feast for thousands of people - a village in India has rolled out the works for the funeral of a beloved bull that lived with them for 20 years, reported The Times of India.
Babuji the bull died of natural causes on August 15, and the village of Kurdi, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, has been commemorating his death over the last week, honoring the animal as they would a village elder, per The Times.
It reported that on Saturday, around 3,000 people attended Babuji's death feast - called a terahvi - where priests chanted for his soul, and a photo shrine of the bull was showered with cash and flowers.
Village residents told The Times that Babuji was almost like a family member to them, and was considered a "gift from the divine." The bull was also found roaming a village holy site when he was young, prompting some to call him Nandi, a Hindu guardian deity usually depicted as a bull.
In the days before the death feast, the villagers conducted religious rites and mourning ceremonies for Babuji, including cremation and a rasam pagri, which is a funeral ceremony for the death of the eldest male in a family, added The Times.
Cows are considered sacred in many parts of India, and most states forbid cow slaughter or the eating of beef. One state, Madhya Pradesh, has even set up a "cow cabinet" to look after the welfare of the animals. In May, several men covered themselves in cow dung and urine under the belief that it would improve their immunity against COVID-19. Doctors have since warned against the practice, saying there was no scientific evidence to support it.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/3- ... 22685.html
Matthew Loh
Sun, August 22, 2021, 11:31 PM
India Bull
A bull at a Jal Yatra procession in Ahmedabad, India on 17 June, 2019. SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images
The death of Babuji the bull has sent an entire Indian village into days of mourning.
Around 3,000 villagers held a grand death feast for Babuji on Saturday, as well as funeral rites and social ceremonies, reported The Times of India.
Babuji was considered by some in the village to be the incarnation of a Hindu guardian deity called Nandi.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Ceremonial rites, cremation, and a grand feast for thousands of people - a village in India has rolled out the works for the funeral of a beloved bull that lived with them for 20 years, reported The Times of India.
Babuji the bull died of natural causes on August 15, and the village of Kurdi, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, has been commemorating his death over the last week, honoring the animal as they would a village elder, per The Times.
It reported that on Saturday, around 3,000 people attended Babuji's death feast - called a terahvi - where priests chanted for his soul, and a photo shrine of the bull was showered with cash and flowers.
Village residents told The Times that Babuji was almost like a family member to them, and was considered a "gift from the divine." The bull was also found roaming a village holy site when he was young, prompting some to call him Nandi, a Hindu guardian deity usually depicted as a bull.
In the days before the death feast, the villagers conducted religious rites and mourning ceremonies for Babuji, including cremation and a rasam pagri, which is a funeral ceremony for the death of the eldest male in a family, added The Times.
Cows are considered sacred in many parts of India, and most states forbid cow slaughter or the eating of beef. One state, Madhya Pradesh, has even set up a "cow cabinet" to look after the welfare of the animals. In May, several men covered themselves in cow dung and urine under the belief that it would improve their immunity against COVID-19. Doctors have since warned against the practice, saying there was no scientific evidence to support it.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/3- ... 22685.html
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swamidada786
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2025 8:56 pm
Re: pets
China expresses keen interest in establishing donkey farms in Pakistan citing favourable environment
Tahir Sherani Published April 12, 2025 Updated about 7 hours ago
Chinese delegation expressed keen interest in establishing donkey farms in Pakistan on Saturday citing the country’s favourable environment for donkey breeding.
In a meeting between National Food Security and Research Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain and Vice President of China’s Donkey Industry Zhao Fei in Islamabad, the minister welcomed the interest and emphasised the country’s strong relationship with China, according to a press release.
He said permission to set up donkey farms would be granted under a formal agreement after fulfilling all legal requirements, adding that the agreement would clearly state that the breeding of the local donkey population would not be affected.
The minister said that Chinese industry would be allowed to establish farms in the Gwadar Export Processing Zone, where slaughterhouses and export facilities would also be developed to enable the export of donkey meat to China using the Gwadar Port.
He said that this initiative would contribute to boosting exports and strengthening trade ties with China, adding that the promotion of the donkey industry would create new economic opportunities and employment
A high-level meeting between the delegations from both sides in October last year agreed to the ‘Protocol on Quarantine Requirements’ for the export of donkey meat to China.
In July last year, the additional secretary in charge of the Commerce Ministry, Ahsan Ali Mangi, informed the committee that the protocol for donkey skins had been finalised, and the ministry was also planning to include donkey meat in the list.
dawn.com
Tahir Sherani Published April 12, 2025 Updated about 7 hours ago
Chinese delegation expressed keen interest in establishing donkey farms in Pakistan on Saturday citing the country’s favourable environment for donkey breeding.
In a meeting between National Food Security and Research Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain and Vice President of China’s Donkey Industry Zhao Fei in Islamabad, the minister welcomed the interest and emphasised the country’s strong relationship with China, according to a press release.
He said permission to set up donkey farms would be granted under a formal agreement after fulfilling all legal requirements, adding that the agreement would clearly state that the breeding of the local donkey population would not be affected.
The minister said that Chinese industry would be allowed to establish farms in the Gwadar Export Processing Zone, where slaughterhouses and export facilities would also be developed to enable the export of donkey meat to China using the Gwadar Port.
He said that this initiative would contribute to boosting exports and strengthening trade ties with China, adding that the promotion of the donkey industry would create new economic opportunities and employment
A high-level meeting between the delegations from both sides in October last year agreed to the ‘Protocol on Quarantine Requirements’ for the export of donkey meat to China.
In July last year, the additional secretary in charge of the Commerce Ministry, Ahsan Ali Mangi, informed the committee that the protocol for donkey skins had been finalised, and the ministry was also planning to include donkey meat in the list.
dawn.com