Scratch that act & other briefs

Who knows how seriously to take the idea about bringing back the Steel Pier diving horse act -- the good news is it's been scrapped, again, and maybe for the last time. Now, we read, the reconstituted Steel Pier will focus on the future, not the past.

Little was said in the statement about the animal advocates who protested in the thousands at change.org. Maybe the pier owners had visions of mass demonstrations if/when the diving horse act started again.

It really doesn't matter because the thing we all protested won't happen now.

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To McDonald's well publicized action this week on gestation crates for sows, we offer small kudos and feel only "modified rapture," as Gilbert & Sullivan put it.

After all, the fast food giant is talking only about eliminating these metal crates that don't even allow pregnant pigs to turn around in. It will be months before their suppliers submit plans for this, and probably many more months more before sows are crate-free.

But they and their offspring will still wind up being slaughtered for human food. That's the bottom line here. Sure, eventually there may be one fewer inhumane way to treat pigs along the way, but the way still leads to their deaths for human purposes.

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In the January 31 NYTimes, science writer Natalie Angier wrote about the African crested rat, which is a rat just the same, but one with potent chemical weapons to deter predators.

First of all, this rat is "so large, flamboyantly furred and thickly helmeted" that it seems at first to be an altogether different animal. Not so. This one's better protected, though, because it gnaws on trees known to contain a toxin traditionally used by African hunters to kill elephants.

With the toxin spread on hairs along its flank, the crested rat can sicken or kill a predator who takes one nip. Result, Angier reports: "African's many carnivores give the rat a wide berth."
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Diving horse (and animal abuse) redux

There’s not enough animal abuse these days. Let’s ramp it up.

Let’s see . . . what can we add to the inventory of ways to hurt, demean and exploit animals? Ah, got it! Bring back the Steel Pier diving horse!

We can always learn from the past, and this diving horse idea is pure inspiration. People used to love it in Atlantic City, so they’ll probably come out in droves for it again.

What about the horse, you ask? Not to worry – horses love diving from great heights into water. Just like those Lipizzaner horses who love doing those crazy dance steps. Nothing like a trained animal . . . except the money it’ll bring in.

Just think of the circus tigers and elephants who do tricks too – even the baby elephants, taken away from their mothers so they can be trained to keep up the family tradition.

Animals love attention and want to work. We’re just helping them . . .

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The recent announcement that the Steel Pier diving horse act will in fact return this summer has triggered a protest reaction by animal activists (who must have thought this idea died a final death in the 90s, when they objected to a much smaller scale version of it – and stopped it.)

But no, it seems that awful ideas live longest. Here’s a link to the story about it from the Press of Atlantic City; if necessary, please just copy and paste:

http://m.pressofatlanticcity.com/mobile/article_0b491910-4e10-11e1-9238-001871e3ce6c.html

Those who want to sign a petition against this idiocy can go to www.change.org.
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