tagged w/ Lions
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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday.
The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by seven men who wanted to force her to marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo, speaking by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of Addis Ababa.
She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June 9 by police and relatives on the outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been guarded by the lions for about half a day, he said.
“They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest,” Wondimu said.
“If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it could have been much worse. Often these young girls are raped and severely beaten to force them to accept the marriage,” he said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8305836/ns/world_news-africa/t/ethiopian-girl-reportedly-guarded-lions/#.TyEtfsXOV2A
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tI9wu4sgKuI/TX-EWzty68I/AAAAAAAAGK4/6VrnyvIdpSU/s320/lion.jpgADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men... more
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First, that story I wrote yesterday (last year!) about the dumbass frat boy in Texas… Called the Secret Service about him today. Yeah, he’s probably just some dumbass southern frat boy from Texas, but wouldn’t I be a jerk if he wound up DOING something and I hadn’t reported him. The Secret Service gave me an e-mail address to send materials to, which I did. Then I posted an updated version of the story on Daily Kos where it became a featured diary, currently 479 comments. That translated into a huge day for this blog (thank you!) As I write this, 1118 visitors for today. Seems like I may have found this blog’s niche… finding scumbags and shining the light of day on them.
http://www.turningovertherocks.com/2012/01/01/quite-a-day-to-start-the-new-year/First, that story I wrote yesterday (last year!) about the dumbass frat boy in... more
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NBC L.A. ...
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Wildlife WayStation in Dire Financial State
"We are at the end of our rope," said Martine Colette, the sanctuary's founder and director
By Ashley Gordon
| Friday, Dec 2, 2011 | Updated 3:29 PM PST
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Wildlife Waystation in Dire Financial State
Photo: Wildlife Waystation resident Bolero plays with a ball.
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Taking care of wild animals is no easy task. Couple the labor and maintenance involved with a troubled economy and the result is an animal sanctuary on the brink of closure.
Tucked within the Angeles National Forest is the Wildlife WayStation, an animal sanctuary that some 400 wild and exotic animals, birds and reptiles call home. Since it opened its doors in 1976, it has relied solely on corporate and foundation grants, private donations, animal sponsorships and bequests – all of which have dwindled under the current economic climate.
“We are at the end of our rope,” said Martine Colette, the sanctuary’s founder and director. “We cannot stretch a dollar anymore and we are out of dollars.”
Colette said she is experiencing the most significant drop in fundraising activity in her 45 years of animal welfare and rescue work, making it increasingly difficult to meet the $150,000 needed monthly to maintain the WayStation. She even issued a plea for public help.
The nonprofit has significantly cut back on permanent support staff, instead, relying more heavily on volunteers to help with the day-to-day operation.
In addition, Los Angeles County requires such a facility to obtain a conditional use permit in order to open to the public.
“When we have a hearing, we contact the associated [governmental] agencies and they actually formulate conditions that would be appropriate for that facility,” said John Gutwein, deputy director of the Land Use Regulation Division of the county’s department of Regional Planning.
While the WayStation remains a licensed animal sanctuary, the high costs associated with county-required repairs has kept its doors shut to the public for the last seven years.
Because of this, the organization finds itself in a Catch-22: It is in need of money to meet county requirements before the public is allowed on the premises; however, it is lacking the money that would be raised through public visitation to make repairs.
Gutwein said he visited the organization six or seven years ago and at the time thought the level of animal restraint was not suitable for outside visitors. He also expressed concern involving an evacuation plan for the animals if a fire were to start in the high-brush area.
Still, he said the WayStation’s issues are completely due to a lack of resources.
“If [Colette] did have the resources, I have no doubt she could make those improvements so perhaps parts of the facility could be open to the public," he said.
Colette said the WayStation is mostly funded by the Average Joe, the people the economy has hurt the most. For this reason, she believes the best case scenario for long-term sustainability of the organization would be a partnership with a company that could get behind its brand.
“I know that the public will be empathetic and there will be a certain amount of dollars sent to the station,” Colette said. “But the real solutions have to come from any of the options I’ve outlined.”
The worst case scenario would be the closure of the 160-acre property and would leave the government with the difficult task of relocating hundreds of troubled animals.
“We have an opportunity to make a difference in these animals’ lives now. Once we are unable to care for them, governmental agencies step in,” Colette said. “That is a very scary concept.”
Marcia Mayeda, director of the county’s Department of Animal Care & Control, said that if her department had to intervene it would work with the United States Department of Agriculture to find a solution.
“It is not easy. We’ve taken over 300 dogs over time from people who could no longer care for them,” Mayeda said. “Although tigers are way different, we do have a lot of resources to help find new homes from them.”
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Wildlife WayStation in Dire Financial State
"We are at... more
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October 18, 2011 Zanesville, OH: 56 lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, wolves, giraffes, camels and bears escaped from the Muskingum County Animal Farm, and the owner Terry Thompson, who had just gotten out of prison was found dead there after shooting himself...
BE A VOICE FOR THE ANIMALS! Please visit this webpage to help us put an end to this abuse: http://bigcatrescue.org/get-involved/roar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Wqsd2Vl7AOctober 18, 2011 Zanesville, OH: 56 lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, wolves,... more
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BigCat
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When lions and tigers roar loudly and deeply -- terrifying every creature within earshot -- they are somewhat like human babies crying for attention, although their voices are much deeper.
link:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102190012.htmWhen lions and tigers roar loudly and deeply -- terrifying every creature within... more
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NewsNet5...
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Animal rights group calling for all exotic animal auctions banned
Ohio SPCA has taken its case to Governor Kasich
Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/money/consumer/troubleshooter/animal-rights-group-calling-for-all-exotic-animal-auctions-banned#ixzz1crfh0pn8
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Posted: 11/04/2011
Last Updated: 18 hours and 9 minutes ago
By: Joe Pagonakis, newsnet5.com By: Joe Pagonakis, newsnet5.com
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MT. HOPE, Ohio - The Ohio SPCA is now demanding a ban on the sale of all exotic animals, following the terrible incidents at the Zanesville farm of Terry Thompson.
The animal rights group focused its attention on the Mt. Hope Alternative Animal and Bird Auction held Friday in Holmes County.
5 On Your Side cameras were not, allowed inside the auction, but hundreds packed the sale to bid on exotic birds, waterfowl, wallabies, reptiles, hogs and sheep.
The Mt. Hope Auction is not selling lions, bears and other potentially hazardous animals found running loose on Terry Thompson's farm.
The Mt. Hope Auction is being monitored by the USDA, and is in full compliance with Ohio law. Still, the SPCA wants sales of this type stopped.
"It's cruel to the animals, they are totally out of their environment and habitat," said SPCA Coordinator Lisa Bell. "We feel this should not be allowed."
The SPCA plans to take its case to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, asking for a ban or tougher restrictions on the sale of non-hazardous exotic animals.
Organizers of the Mt. Hope Auction would not comment on Friday's sale.
Some visitors to Mt. Hope believe the situation in Zanesville has caused to some to overreact.
"There's a big difference between Lions and Bear, and Wallabies and Pheasants," said Rob Weber. "They're a little exotic, I don't know how dangerous they are."
The SPCA claimed exotic animal auctions of any kind can perpetuate animal abuse.
"Ohio's lax laws, and the failure to enforce current laws, allows animals to suffer and die at the hands of abusers," said Ohio SPCA Spokeswoman Teresa Landon.
Police said Terry Thompson released dozens of wild animals at his Zanesville farm back on October 18, just moments before taking his own life.
Police were forced to track down and kill 48 lions, bears, and tigers to restore neighborhood safety.
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Scripps Media IncNewsNet5...
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Animal rights group calling for all exotic animal auctions banned... more
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Baby animals always draw a crowd! Tiger and lion cubs are often exhibited in malls and parking lots by people who breed and exploit these animals to make money...
The cubs are torn from their mothers soon after birth and are used as photo props and in petting booths for the paying public. Please refuse to participate in these events.Baby animals always draw a crowd! Tiger and lion cubs are often exhibited in malls and... more
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BigCat
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L.A. considers putting zoo operations in private hands
Officials say the change would save nearly $20 million over five years and prevent possible closure. Critics question the savings and say the move could mean less transparency in animal welfare.
Los Angeles Zoo
Photo: Zoo patrons view a pair of Masai giraffes at the Los Angeles Zoo. Two potential private operators have expressed interest in running the zoo. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
By Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times
July 28, 2011
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Someone else may soon be tending to the misty artificial rain forest at the Los Angeles Zoo where Bruno, a 300-pound orangutan with a wispy orange beard and a hulking frame, makes his home.
The city opened the zoo and botanical gardens in 1966, but officials are now considering a proposal to turn over management to a private operator. That means the gardeners, plumbers and other city employees who help run the zoo could be transferred to other departments and replaced with private workers.
Like any issue involving labor — or animals — the fight over the fate of the zoo has caused a considerable stir.
City officials say the change would save nearly $20 million over the next five years and rescue the zoo from possible budget reductions or even closure. But opponents of the plan question the savings and warn that privatization could mean steeper ticket prices for the zoo's 1.5 million annual visitors and less transparency when it comes to animal welfare.
The zoo plan is only the latest example of a shift in how budget-strapped officials think about "core services" and City Hall's basic obligations to taxpayers. They are also considering proposals to privatize the Los Angeles Convention Center, an animal shelter in the San Fernando Valley and several arts facilities.
Such public-private partnerships are common in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History are two county facilities operated by nonprofit organizations.
"It's not a revolutionary idea," said Miguel Santana, L.A.'s chief administrative officer, who came to City Hall from the county in 2009. "This model has worked across the country as a way of ensuring services are maintained in an era of declining revenues."
According to a draft proposal for the zoo plan, which the City Council's Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee will consider Thursday, Bruno and the rest of the animals would remain the property of the city, along with the zoo's Griffith Park grounds.
All current staff would remain employees of the city, but those who do not hold zoo-specific jobs might be transferred to other city departments. Future hires would be employees of the new operator.
Two potential operators have already stepped forward.
One is the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn., or GLAZA, a nonprofit headquartered on the zoo's campus that raises money for the institution, manages its memberships and operates its concessions. In 2010-11, it raised about $13 million for the zoo, according to GLAZA President Connie Morgan
The other party is Parques Reunidos, a Madrid-based theme park operator that runs 70 amusement parks, water parks and zoos worldwide.
Dave Towne, a former consultant for the L.A. Zoo, said that if a private company takes over, the face of the zoo may change. "Any private, for-profit operation is going to Disney-fy it," he said. "That's just what they do."
Towne, former director of the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, oversaw the transition of that zoo's management to a nonprofit 10 years ago. He said private operators run the majority of the nation's major zoos and are often more successful at marketing and fundraising than cities, in part because they are less encumbered by bureaucracy.
Animal activists fear that could result in a lack of transparency. Catherine Doyle, of In Defense of Animals, said that if the zoo is privatized, "it will become even more secretive and insular."
She and others have long accused the zoo's management of not being forthcoming about animal care, and have asked that the operator be required to answer to a city-appointed animal welfare commission.
Adriana Hawkins, a zoo gardener for six years, says everyone will suffer if longtime employees are reassigned. The zoo will lose expertise, she said, and the employees will lose jobs they love.
"I don't want to go down to the harbor; I don't want to spend my life on the freeway," Hawkins said. "I have a passion for the zoo."
Santana and others have said that privatizing the zoo will allow it to flourish. A report he commissioned said that under private management, the zoo would be able to reap up to $3.8 million more each year in revenue, thanks to new opportunities for corporate sponsorship, fundraising and special events.
But City Councilman Richard Alarcon said that's all the more reason to keep control of the zoo. "If a private corporation can make it profitable, why can't we?" he said.
It costs $26 million a year to run the zoo and pay the salaries, benefits and pensions of more than 200 employees. The city contributes about $14.6 million; the rest of the budget comes from ticket sales and donations.
Officials say if the city does not privatize management, that figure could grow as high as $19.4 million by 2015. But even if it does complete a deal, the city will still contribute about $13.8 million to the zoo in 2015, according to the proposal.
The savings may be small in the short term, but Santana insists that it adds up. Next year, he and other officials will have to find a way to close a $200-million budget deficit.
.L.A. considers putting zoo operations in private hands
Officials say the change... more
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The Independent | London...
Victory in the campaign to ban circus animals
Government concedes defeat after bribes and intimidation fail to deter rebels
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Friday, 24 June 2011
MPs of all parties unanimously backed a ban on circus animals
MPs voted to ban wild animals in circuses last night after David Cameron's attempts to bully Conservative backbenchers into voting against the measure backfired and ended in a humiliating public defeat. In a decision hailed by campaigners as an "historic victory for animal welfare and protection", MPs of all parties unanimously backed a ban and the Government signalled that it would introduce one, ending forever the days of lions, tigers, elephants and other wild animals in the big top.
In an act of desperation, Conservative whips had warned they would impose the most serious parliamentary voting sanction, a three-line whip, to bring recalcitrant backbenchers to heel and get them to support the Government's alternative proposal of a licensing system. But in a victory for The Independent's campaign for a ban and for the long campaigns waged by animal welfare organisations, Downing Street backed down when it became apparent that it would lose the vote despite what backbenchers described as "desperate" measures. One of the three MPs who brought the cross-party motion for a ban disclosed that he had first been offered a government job – and then threatened that the Prime Minister would look "very dimly" on his recalcitrance – unless he amended or withdrew the motion. Mark Pritchard, a Conservative backbencher, stood firm and insisted that the measure be voted upon.
As astonished MPs listened, Mr Pritchard said: "Well I have a message for the whips and for the Prime Minister of our country – and I didn't pick a fight with the Prime Minister – I may just be a little council house lad from a very poor background but that background gave me a backbone. It gives me a thick skin and I'm not going to be cowed by the whips of the Prime Minister on an issue I feel passionately about and have conviction about.
"There may be some other people with backbones on this side and they will speak later, but we need a generation of politicians with a bit of spine, not jelly. And I will not be bullied by any of the whips."
MPs from all sides of the House including the Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster, Labour's Nia Griffiths and the Green leader Caroline Lucas attacked the Government's position, saying that both public and parliamentary opinion was in support of a ban.
The motion was to "direct" the Government to introduce a ban.
Shortly before the vote, the Animal Welfare minister, Jim Paice, said: "If at the end of this debate the House were to approve this motion then of course we will have to respect that."
Animal welfare groups were ecstatic. The RSPCA said: "This is a win for democracy as well as animal welfare." It said it hoped the Government would quickly and formally announce a ban.
Animal Defenders International, the group which shot undercover footage of the beating by a Romanian groom of Anne the elephant at Bobby Roberts Circus, said: "This debate and vote has exposed the Government and demonstrated just how out of touch they have been with their peers, the public, and animal welfare groups."
Mary Creagh, the shadow Environment Secretary, said: "The public will be absolutely delighted that MPs from all parties have stood up to the Tory-led Government on this issue to achieve such a fantastic result. The vote brings to an end 48 hours of chaos and confusion from the Government about their position on a ban. It is extraordinary that David Cameron used such bully-boy tactics to threaten his own MPs and tried to impose a three-line whip on the vote."
The Government had initially planned to ban wild animals from circuses but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was forced to do a U-turn, and instead proposed a licensing system, after Mr Cameron, a keen hunter and shooter, blocked the move.
Mr Paice blamed a court challenge to a ban in Austria for the decision, but there was no court challenge and he was forced to admit during an emergency debate, called because of the misinformation, that he had misled the Commons. The Government's subsequent claim that a ban could be challenged under the Human Rights Act or the EU Services Directive was challenged by lawyers and the European Commission.
The Government and MPs came under intense pressure from voters. More than 32,000 signed The Independent's online petition calling for the Government to change its mind, and supporters of the protest group 38 Degrees, which had forced Defra to abandon plans for its forests sell-off, deluged MPs' offices with hundreds of emails, letters and phone calls.
During the debate, MPs said the issue was emblematic of wider animal welfare issues. But the most astonishing contribution came from Mr Pritchard who had secured the backbench debate, which should have had a free vote. He said: "On Monday if I offered to amend my motion or drop my motion or not call a vote on this motion – and we're not talking about a major defence issue or an economic issue or an issue of public-sector reform, we're talking about a ban on wild animals in circuses – I was offered reward and incentive. If I didn't call for a ban – I was offered a job. Not as a minister, it was a pretty trivial job.
"Then it was ratcheted up to last night and I was threatened. I had a call from the Prime Minister's Office directly and I was told unless I withdrew this motion that the Prime Minister himself would look upon it 'very dimly indeed'."
He told MPs: "It remains a mystery why the Government has mounted such a concerted operation to stop there being a vote on this motion."The Independent | London...
Victory in the campaign to ban circus animals... more
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Trent is a 1-year-old toddler with nerves of steel who thinks a lioness trying to eat him is the coolest thing ever. Gaping jaws? Giant teeth? Who cares? Just don’t take him away from the big kitty!
Source: DailyWhatTrent is a 1-year-old toddler with nerves of steel who thinks a lioness trying to eat... more
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American hunters are emerging as a strong and growing threat to the survival of African lions, with demand for trophy rugs and necklaces driving the animals towards extinction, a coalition of wildlife organisations has said.
Demand for hunting trophies, such as lion skin rugs, and a thriving trade in animal parts in the US and across the globe have raised the threat levels for African lions, which are already under assault because of conflicts with local villagers and shrinking habitat.
"The African lion is a species in crisis," said Jeff Flocken of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "The king of the jungle is heading toward extinction, and yet Americans continue to kill lions for sport."
Two-thirds of the lions hunted for sport were brought to America over the last 10 years, a report released by the coalition said.
The organisations, which include IFAW, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, Born Free and Defenders of Wildlife, called on the White House to ban the import of lion trophies and parts by listing the animals as endangered species.
The number of wild African lions has fallen sharply in the last 100 years, the organisations said. A century ago, as many as 200,000 roamed across Africa. Now, by some estimates, fewer than 40,000 remain in the wild; others put the figure for survivors at 23,000, and they have vanished from 80% of the areas where they once roamed.
Lions have become extinct in 26 countries. Only seven countries – Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe – are believed to contain more than 1,000 lions each, according to the Panthera conservation group – which is not part of the coalition making the appeal.
The single biggest threat by far to the animals' survival is humans, though not necessarily western hunters. "It is just the very, very widespread killing of lions, mostly in a conflict situation, by anyone who is trying to farm livestock in Africa and finds it very difficult to co-exist with lions," said Luke Hunter, the executive vice-president of Panthera.
There is also a lot of pressure on lion habitats with wilderness areas shrinking to build roads – such as the controversial highway across the Serengeti – or to make room for agriculture.
But the report by the wildlife coalition, filed with the White House on Tuesday, said western hunters were a growing danger to the lions' survival.
Between 1999 and 2008, 64% of the 5,663 lions that were killed in the African wild for sport ended up being shipped to America, it said. It also said the numbers had risen sharply in those 10 years, with more than twice as many lions taken as trophies by US hunters in 2008 than in 1999. In addition to personal trophies, Americans are also the world's biggest buyers of lion carcasses and body parts, including claws, skulls, bones and penises. In the same years, the US imported 63% of the 2,715 lion specimens put up for sale.
For some countries, including Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique, hunting for sport was the main threat to the lions' existence. But even in countries which did not attract large numbers of tourists on hunting trips, the practice was taking a growing toll.
The conservationists noted that hunters' penchant for bagging a male lion risked wiping out entire prides. The loss of the alpha male could set off a struggle for supremacy among the survivors that could lead to further deaths of adult male lions, or male cubs seen as potential threats.
A hunting ban, the conservationists said, would reduce that threat by taking Americans out of the game. It's one of a range of threats to the survival of the species, said Teresa Telecky, director of wildlife for Humane Society International. "But what is most certainly true is that of all the threats to the African lion, the one we can best address here in this country is their import."
Flocken noted that all of the other big cats are protected – jaguars, leopards and tigers. "African lions are the only ones left out there," he said.
However, other wildlife experts argued that a total hunting ban was a "nuclear option". They said responsible hunting could in some cases help conserve populations by maintaining wilderness areas. Existing US and international regulations, such as the Cites conventions against trafficking in endangered species, could also be reinforced to protect lions, they said.
"If you remove hunting, the very real risk is that you force African governments to generate revenue from that land and the obvious thing is cattle and crops which just wipe out habitats," said Hunter.American hunters are emerging as a strong and growing threat to the survival of... more
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A Tucson restaurant won’t serve African lion tacos after all because it received “many threats on the safety of our restaurant, our families, our customers and our vendors,” its owner said tonight.
Boca Tacos and Tequila, 828 E. Speedway, planned to sell lion tacos one time, Feb. 16, as the latest in its Wednesday “exotic” taco specials, which previously included frog legs, alligator, rocky mountain oysters and rattlesnake.
“While Boca will always take the utmost pride in offering creative and unique menu items ... we will not do so at the risk of safety for their families, customers, vendors, supporters, and friends,” owner Bryan Mazon said in a news release.
In a telephone interview, Mazon said he reported threats to Tucson police “and we do have a case number.” He said there were probably 20-25 “direct threats,” and “probably hundreds” of indirect threats, many of them made on Facebook.
He also said telephone threats were called in to his own family’s home, after critics posted his personal information on Facebook.
“I can’t put my family members in any sort of harm’s way,” Mazon said. Police told him to contact them with any additional threats, he said.
Mazon said he and the restaurant never received a single threat due to any other exotic meat it has served.
On the other end of the spectrum, “we probably had over 100 pre-orders” for the African lion tacos, he said, including queries about shipments around the country. He said he hadn’t yet ordered the lion meat he would have sold.
He said he’ll announce the replacement special for Feb. 16 but hasn’t decided.
http://azstarnet.com/business/local/article_5931374a-282b-11e0-93a2-001cc4c002e0.htmlA Tucson restaurant won’t serve African lion tacos after all because it received... more
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Are we seeing the last lions?
By Dereck Joubert, Special to CNN
January 23, 2011 10:08 a.m. EST
Just 50 years ago, there were 450,000; today, there are possibly as few as 20,000. These are the last lions.
--Dereck Joubert
Editor's note: TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to "Ideas worth spreading," which it makes available through talks posted on its website. Beverly and Dereck Joubert, who are National Geographic explorers in residence based in Botswana, have filmed and photographed wildlife and nature for nearly 30 years. They have received five Emmys, as well as other awards.
(CNN) -- As you will see in our TED talk, Beverly and I have spent enough time in the bush with lions to understand that we have a problem -- rapidly declining big cat populations.
This much time alone in the wild makes us socially inept, but there is no substitute for doing the time.
As we've delved into this more, we have learned more about the problems facing these extraordinary creatures. All the problems focus on human-predator conflicts, from the collection of hunting trophies as sport -- an activity that is terribly damaging to wild populations of cats -- to flashpoints between the cats and cattle cultures.
The real miracle is that we do still have this last remnant of lions at all. Just 50 years ago there were 450,000; today there are possibly as few as 20,000. These are the last lions.
Life lessons from big cats
As Beverly points out in the TED talk, the death of one male lion can have drastic effects on the whole pride. A new male comes into the area and takes over the pride, killing all the cubs and possibly some of the females defending their cubs.
So we've estimated that from 20 to 30 lions are killed when one lion is hanging on a wall somewhere in a far-off place.
If we don't do something, collectively, within the next few years, we will be seeing the last of the lion populations in Africa. That is why we have produced a film for theatrical release, in theaters in the U.S. in February, called "The Last Lions."
We're hoping that our work will galvanize a movement to save them -- but it is going to take a universal effort and action on an emergency basis. In association with National Geographic we founded the Big Cat Initiative to roll up our sleeves and save cats, right now.
So who cares? Well, the first thing to appreciate is that the world's large predators, like lions, are not just a luxury for us to look at, to photograph, or to shoot. They are the most vital center point in many ecosystems. If we lose them, we can anticipate eventual collapse of whole environments, right down to the water systems, as prey shifts or migrations stop, and species overgraze and destroy the integrity of important vegetation, especially along rivers.
Erosion follows, rivers silt up, and fish die, all because we took out a few lions.
There is as great an economic need to preserve lions. In Africa an $80 billion-a-year business in ecotourism feeds parks, airlines, safari businesses, and local crafts and helps pump up economies important to the entire continent.
Communities thrive on this cash, and it keeps them above the poverty line, gives them dignity and hope, and alleviates the need for aid. It gives people resources to better educate their kids. Better education breeds health and less exposure to diseases such as AIDS.
Also, within those communities there is a deep spiritual connection to the land and its wildlife. When creatures such as lions disappear, a destructive ripple effect weakens our care for the planet and our understanding of who we are.
Everything hinges on people being connected to a planet that is whole; and predators, although scary to live with, actually glue all this together. It's something we've known and lived with for 3 million years.
We have to decide if we are a part of the planet and its life forms or if we want to try to live apart from it all. With the specter of The Last Lions will come, and not that far behind, the potential sequel -- The Last Humans.
Watch the Jouberts' TED Talk on the lives and futures of the big cats
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dereck Joubert.Are we seeing the last lions?
By Dereck Joubert, Special to CNN
January 23, 2011... more
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UPDATE: Kid Rock to perform at Lions game on Thanksgiving Day
Adam Graham
Detroit News
Pop Music Writer
Kid Rock fans have a reason to be thankful this year, as Rock — who releases his new album, “Born Free,” on Tuesday — will perform his new album’s title track at halftime of the Detroit Lions game on Thanksgiving Day.
Click to Watch....(CMA VIDEO) Thanksgiving Day Lions Game Halftime: Detriot’s American Bad Ass Kid Rock Performs ‘Born Free’ Live…http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/official-video-thanksgiving-day-lions-game-halftime-detriots-kid-rock-performs-born-free-live/
Macombdaily.com
November 13, 2010
By GARY GRAFF
Journal Register Newspapers
There’s a key lyric towards the end of , “Born Free,” when the erstwhile, self-proclaimed Early Morning Stoned Pimp and Devil Without a Cause sings that “For the first time in a long time/I’m done paying my dues/For the first time in a long time/I don’t feel used.”UPDATE: Kid Rock to perform at Lions game on Thanksgiving Day
Adam Graham
Detroit... more
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Kevin has become friends with this Lioness and she trusts him around her new born cubs giving us a new insight into the lives of these awesome animals.Kevin has become friends with this Lioness and she trusts him around her new born cubs... more
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Tigers, Lions, Leopards...the Big Cats like to carve pumpkins too! Take a look at halloween at Big Cat Rescue!Tigers, Lions, Leopards...the Big Cats like to carve pumpkins too! Take a look at... more
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BigCat
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BROEDERSTROOM, South Africa – Lions raised in captivity in South Africa are set loose in enclosed areas where hunters, many from the United States, gun them down. The toll: about 1,000 lions each year.
Kevin Richardson hopes a new movie "White Lion," which opens in a few U.S. cities on Friday, will give people second-thoughts about participating in such hunts.
"I just can't understand how anyone would want to shoot a lion that is clearly confined to a finite space with absolutely no hope in hell of ever escaping the so-called hunter," said Richardson, a self-taught "Lion Whisperer" and first-time film producer. "Canned lion hunting, in my opinion, is likened to fishing with dynamite in a pond and then calling yourself a fisherman."
"White Lion" is about a rare white lion, who as a cub is cast out of his pride because of his color. He is near starvation when he befriends an older lion who teaches him the ways of the wild. John Kani, a Tony Award-winning actor and playwright, is the storyteller. A young man helps the lion, whose name is Letsatsi, because his Shangaan tribal tradition says a white lion is God's messenger and must be protected. Tension builds as Gisani becomes a tracker on a game farm where he and a foreign hunter encounter Letsatsi.
Trophy hunting is big business in South Africa, worth $91.2 million a year, according to the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa. Foreign tourists pay up to $40,000 to shoot a lion.
The government promotes hunting as a revenue source and calls it a "sustainable utilization of natural resources." Provincial governments sell permits allowing hunters to kill rhinos, elephants — even giraffes. Hunters killed 1,050 lions in 2008, the last year for which figures are available, according to the South African Predator Breeders Association.
The hunters' association says 16,394 foreign hunters — more than half from the United States — killed more than 46,000 animals in the year ending September 2007.
Almost all lions hunted under permit in South Africa are bred in captivity. But a new report by Animal Rights Africa says animals that wander out of the huge Kruger National Park into neighboring private reserves have become fair game.
About 3,600 lions were kept in breeding facilities in 2009, to be sold to zoos, safari farms and for hunting on game farms, said Albi Modise, spokesman for South Africa's Department of Environment.
Animal Rights Africa says trophy hunting is incompatible with South Africa's push into ecotourism, noting that ad campaigns promoting tourism and game viewing showcase the same species that are offered up to be hunted. The government in 2007 introduced legislation that would reduce the financial incentive to breed lions for the hunt but the Predator Breeders Association challenged the laws and earlier this year won an appeal.
Richardson, the movie's producer, first befriended a pair of lion cubs at the Lion Park outside Johannesburg 12 years ago, when the cubs were 6 months and he was 23. He began shortening his hours as a therapist in postoperative rehabilitation to play with his new friends. Soon, park owner Rodney Fuhr offered him a part-time job which became full time.
Today, Richardson cares for 39 lions at his 800-hectare (2,000-acre) Kingdom of the White Lion in Broederstroom, an hour and a half drive from Johannesburg, where the film was shot to include tawny gold lions as well as those born white because of a recessive gene.
Lions are nocturnal and spend most of the day sleeping, so filming was limited to a couple of hours in the morning and perhaps another couple in the afternoon — if the cats were willing. Letsatsi was portrayed by several different lions over the four years it took to make the movie. A cuddly cub filmed in the summer of 2006 might be sprouting a mohawk-style tuft of hair the following year, the precursor to a mane.
Richardson said he breaks every rule in the book in handling lions. On a recent morning, the lions welcomed Richardson with rumbling purrs. One shut his eyes in ecstasy and rolled onto his back as Richardson scratched his chin. Another licked Richardson's hand, the tongue as rough as sandpaper. Too many licks can cause bleeding.
Two 400-pound (180-kilogram) lions wrestled him to the ground and a lioness jumped on his back, covering Richardson for a tense minute. He emerged from a tangle of furry blond limbs, face red. One lion threw a casual paw on Richardson's shoulder.
"Ugh, no claws you naughty boy!" he admonished, slapping away a paw larger than his face.
He's been attacked by his lions twice. Once during filming, a lion named Thor grabbed Richardson's arm and pinned him against the cage holding the camera crews, who looked on terrified and unable to help.
"I thought: There goes my arm, and it's my own fault. I was provoking him to get a fight sequence that we needed," Richardson said. The lion stared him in the eyes for what seemed five minutes but couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, before releasing him, he recalled.
"Lions are 99 percent chill and 1 percent lethal," Richardson said.;_ylt=AkcLm5W.4n_zZaE9v2PwZT5g.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTRjaW1nNTB1BGFzc2V0Ay9zL2FwX3RyYXZlbC8yMDE... more
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