Mali, the female Sri-Lankan-born elephant, is causing much fuss at the nation’s capital amidst call from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) and other animal protection organizations from around the globe that she be taken out from Manila’s rundown zoo and transferred to a sanctuary in Thailand.
Peta said that the company of other elephants is extremely important to the well-being of an elephant.
“For elephants, the herd is everything. Females stay with their families for their entire lives, and males stay until their pre- or early teens. These complex and social animals need other elephants in order to live a fulfilled and happy life,” Peta said.
Mali is not only old and sickly but is also confined in a small, concrete enclosure
that can hardly be described as a natural habitat for an elephant.
Yet despite this funereal situation, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada is insisting that the animal stays.
"Mali is just one elephant and sending her to Thailand would be embarrassing. It means we are not capable of taking care of one animal," Estrada said.
What an idiotic pronouncement!
How could you make Mali feel better if she continues to be alone? Continued cruelty will just hasten her demise, especially if there are no veterinarians adequately trained to care for her.
Why can’t we just admit that we are treating Mali wrongly, that feeding her in a limited space will never, ever, take the place of companionship and staying in sanctuary where she could roam and forage and still be under the supervision of elephant experts?
This reminds me of Lolong. The country was proud to own it because the Guinness book of records listed it as the world’s longest crocodile in captivity.
But the same foolish pride that Mayor Estrada treated Mali with also obsessed local
officials of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. Lolong died in 2011.
The latest I heard about Lolong is that they will exhume its remains and assemble it, after which they will display it the town’s eco-park.
Cruelty brought about by false sense of pride killed Lolong. Mali will meet the same fate for the same reason, sooner rather than later.--Jesus Sievert
Good cops
Policemen are not criminals. They are police officers employed by the state, country or municipality to keep the peace, arrest riminals, etc.
They are heroes with distinguished courage and ability and admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities.
But many stories have come out that are false. Because of this, the police officers become villains while the criminals become heroes.
This year, the most humiliating incident for the Philippine National Police ( PNP) was
the incident wherein policemen from Calabarzon, with the backing from military troops, killed an illegal gambling lord and drug lord and 12 other men in an alleged “shotout” in Atimonan town.
Twenty five policemen and soldiers are facing criminal charges for the killing.
This letter is in support of police officers whose performance are satisfactory. The
PNP force is not 100 percent corruption-free
To “back slider” police officers, we are not condemning you either but in order for you to be in the pedestal you should accomplish more.--Winifredo P. Eribal