The zoos need to think creatively

Suddenly the news is filled with zoo directors angling for a bundle of the boodle that Washington is getting ready to hand out. The zoo caretakers claim they aren't taking in enough revenue to properly care for their animals.

Linda had a worthy idea on that subject. If the zoos have too many animals to take care of with their current revenues why don't they auction off the right to hunt some of the animals? There are many hunters out there who would be glad to relieve them of the need to feed a lion, or a tiger, or an elephant or two.

My thought is that the zoos should auction off the chance to hunt in the enclosures with spears like the Maasai do. Whenever some loonie jumps into the enclosure with the lions or the bears it makes national news even if the guy only gets his arm or leg a bit chewed up. Imagine what the television rights would sell for if a zoo were to let someone into a lion enclosure dressed in a loincloth and carrying one of those Maasai spears.

The TV audience for the first hunt would rival that which watched the Superbowl.

http://www.authenticafrica.com/maaslionspea.html

Alpha through the Muse to Omega

In an article about archaeology The Economist of September 6th quoted a Dr. Jason Ur. Fortunately Dr. Ur is an anthropologist at Harvard rather than a surgeon. His name is pretty darn neat; but if he's a Chaldean who's into body building and sailing it's perfect.

I have to wonder. Is his wife a novelist? Is her name Jane? Do they have a son? Did they name him Abram? How many times has he suffered these sorts of weak japes?

And. . . a comment to a post below moved me to quote William Blake. That, in turn, awakened the muse of my poetic side; which you now have to suffer:

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright,
Please to come, and take a bite,
Of the deer, that deign to munch,
With scorn, my lily buds for lunch.

Rip their hides, with your sharp claws,
Crunch their bones, with your strong jaws,
Drag their corpses, home to your lair,
And feed them, to your kittens there.

Who can whine, about ravaged deer,
When they make, kitten chow sans peer?
Who can mourn, for a savaged fawn,
Whose haunches, nourish tiger spawn?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright,
I'd better stop, this making light,
Of mayhem, lest I rouse the ire,
Of neighbors, nieces and PETA choir.

Finally. . . On the way home from Villanova earlier today we saw a nicely shot up road sign along the expressway. It's true the shooter was probably using a mere pellet gun, because the sign wasn't shot through; but it warms my heart that there's still an outrageous scofflaw vandal out there keeping the world interesting.

I wonder what the law is on these in Pennsylvania

Debra has an issue with ATV's crossing their property; and, sorry to say, but Hobbs is getting a little old to handle the groundhog problem. I bet if she buys one of these and fences it back there all that with the trespassers will stop; and Hobbs can enjoy a well deserved retirement from groundhog control.

We're talking a bargain price also - five hundred bucks.

I'm thinking one of them would nicely solve the problem of deer eating my lily buds. I have to talk to Linda about this. We've been thinking of getting a pet. May as well get one that can pull his weight.

http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2835