Zimbabwe conservationists “disgusted” by GoDaddy CEO elephant hunt video

We are disgusted,” says Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, on GoDaddy CEO Bob Parson’s recent video glorifying his elephant hunt as his way of helping hungry Zimbabweans eat.

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Go Daddy goes to Zimbabwe to “help” with hunting, pays at least $384 to Mugabe regime

Go Daddy CEO Robert Parsons bragged about how his elephant hunt in Zimbabwe helped locals. He also gave at least about $400-$800 to the Mugabe regime.

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Whale watching in NYC, New wolf in Africa

Whales, dolphins and seals moving back to New York harbor, especially off Queens.

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Sudan Plans Classy Cities That Look Like Giraffe and Rhino From Above

Rhino City

The capital Juba, which now has slums and exactly three paved roads, would move 10 miles away and be remade as a Dubai-like “Rhino City,” with police HQ in the eye and an amusement park in the ear.

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Animals Catch World Cup Fever

black squirrel soccer ball

Mickey is all feet with the football

Around the world animal lovers are posing cute critters with soccer balls. It’s as if instead of Brazil versus England, it’ll be Team Fish versus Team Elephant.   A Japanese aquarium figured out how to give a soccer ball to fish, with “Blue tangs, symbolising Japan’s national soccer team who are popularly known as “Blue Samurai.”

I’m not above it. Here’s the squirrel football team.

Alvin puts on his game face

The Gray Team has the ball

Blue tangs symbolize Japan's team, who are called "Blue Samurai"

South Korean OAfrican penguins play football at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

African Soccer Star !! by Picture Taker 2

Corgi in Training by this is emily

AnimalTourism: Where to Go to See Animals

North Korea: Creepy to Animals, Too

What do you get for a fellow despot of an impoverished country? How about a menagerie? Conservation groups are pissed that Zimbabwe is sending North Korea a mini-menagerie–two of every species from Hwange National Park.

Somalia gave Kim Il Sung an Ass photo by (stephan)

You can only imagine how a nation that can’t provide food and electricity for its own people will treat elephants and lions from Africa. Actually, you don’t have to imagine. Some news reports make it seem ambiguous where they might go. But there’s only one zoo in North Korea and it’s totally sad, crappy, creepy and unaccredited.

Asia Times reports that a bunch of animal fighting films have come out of North Korea and pits animals against each other to fight to the death–just the kind of flick our Supreme Court endorsed.

“In all probability, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sanctioned the filming of Fighting Animals, or at least gave it his curious approval – though there is no evidence he was directly involved despite his well-documented interest in filmmaking,” the Asia Times says. “The film’s producers would have needed access to rare and valuable animals and the only place in the country that holds them is the Central Zoo in Pyongyang.”

The Pyongyang Central Zoo was hit by bird flu

Aside from the animal fighting scandal, Lonely Planet says all the animals at the Korea Central Zoo, also known as the Pyongyang Central Zoo, “look pretty forlorn Worst off are the big cats…kept

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Actual White Elephant Becomes High Maintenance Burden to Burmese Farmers

The 2003 white elephant Rati Malar

Boy, some elephant handler in Myanmar must regret that day in January when he saw a white elephant. The handler told forest officials and eventually the military junta came to look for the animal that has mystical powers in local culture and Buddhism. Now, the Independent reports, the 50 soldiers have conscripted tons of local, forcing them to abandon their families and farms in search of the talisman of prosperity and power.

I wonder if because of this ordeal the Burmese will take the western meaning of “white elephant” as an overly demanding luxury item.

This white elephant is wily in addition to being sacred. It was first sighted in 2008, but no one was able to catch it then, either.  White animals can either be leucistic (fur or skin is white, but eyes  normal) or albino (white skin, red eyes, and often vision and sunburn problems).

In a previous white elephant situation in 2001, many locals speculated that a white elephant claimed by the junta was really an imposter, a pedestrian grey elephant that had undergone some kind of makeover at “an elephant-shed at Athak-naing-ra village” and renamed appropriately, Naringara News reported.  The Independent says that elephant eventually “fell out of favor” along with the government it was supposed to be lucky to. No word on where it went; it’s not like washed up white elephants can just get some low-key gig in the hinterlands.

The other elephants in Burma

Keep reading Actual White Elephant Becomes High Maintenance Burden to Burmese Farmers

Elephant Baby Drama

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97CRwd_U2FU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01]Ever wonder how elephants give birth? Me neither. But this Bali Adventure Tours video–which does have a lot of birthy gore–shows you. There’s a dramatic twist at the end. Hint: They probably wouldn’t publicize a graphic video of a stillbirth.

To see more animals go to animaltourism.com