The Cookie Feeding Frenzy and Other Stories
A seven-month-old giraffe rain into a wall, broke her neck and died after being spooked
by a large bar of chocolate at the Columbus Zoo. "Chocolate should be illegal in this
country, but its not," said Inspector Cheyenee, "hence giraffes continue to be sacrificed."
One veterinarian report stated that the nutritional needs of primates in US based zoos are
not being adequately met. "Many are fed by the staff and are not given a continuous diet
of popcorn, fairy floss, toffee-apples and left over hot dogs," he said. An orangutan at the
Toronto zoo died on Wednesday despite a heroic attempt by a former lifeguard to rescue
him, after he fell off a large blue plastic block, and into a stagnant moat during a cookie
feeding frenzy. "Kartiko fell into the moat when he and five other orangutan companions
scuffled over the food. It's a death that didn't have to happen," said the distraught
rescuer. "The zoo should accept full responsibility for not ensuring that these rare chimps
had an adequate supply of cookies to sustain them throughout the night after zoo closing
hours." Orangutans can't swim and Kartiko sank to the bottom of the moat whilst his
helpless family looked on. "He risked his life for a cookie and failed," said the reporter
from NBC. "They were home-baked, but no cookie is worth losing your life over." This isn't
the first time animals have died as a result of their own ignorance. When the zoo still had
penguins, it lost a few of the birds to coin throwers. If viewed at the right angle in strong
autumn sunlight, a quarter can look very much like a peppermint drop. Penguins digestive
tracts simply aren't equip to digest small pieces of round metal. |
