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Boracay is a great place to visit when it’s
“regular season.” If you find a good spot, you can treat
yourself to nice stretches of fairly empty beach before lunchtime
hits. The prices are extra friendly for plane fares, accommodations
and adventure activities.
Last Sunday , a friend and I
decided to drive ATVs (all terrain vehicle) on a route that lead us
to a mountaintop with spectacular view of the island. Along with the
view, were minor attractions—a Tasmanian Devil (the words written
in big bold white letters with the word “related” under it in
black pentel), a sleeping python, two ducks and several monkeys in
cages.
There I was in my gothic
beachwear, with my mandatory kneepads and elbow pads looking like a
cross between Morticia Adams and an American Gladiator going over to
one of the monkeys and saying, “Are you a good little monkey?”
KAPOW. The monkey had taken a
sudden and unforeseen swipe at me and landed a solid hit just above
my left eye. There’s an absolutely hilarious post in Multiply
titled “Boxing in Boracay: Karengkeng vs. Monkey Pacquiao” with
ringside commentators notes a photograph of the gash above my left
eyebrow.
Alas, this incident, which
provided much amusement, has also opened my eyes to the plight of
caged animals in mini-zoos. The prizefighter apparently gets teased
and agitated the whole day. As with the Tasmanian Devil (related)
cat, they get taunted, called at and fed junk food just to elicit a
reaction.
Right after the punch, someone
offered a soda can to the monkey. Monkey tries drinking from it but
finding the contents empty, proceeds to mutilate the can—crushing
it and ripping it apart.
Our guide also told us about
another monkey that was mabait when it was new but is now salbahe.
How else are you going to feel being a creature who loves climbing,
swinging and frolicking in jungles and forests who now has to live
in a tiny cage getting teased all day? Could drive you absolutely
batty.
And while I’m not ready to go
vegan, I pretty much have a better grasp of what animal rights
activists are trying to do when they question the wisdom of keeping
them as “attractions”. Not long ago, I was at a local zoo
accompanying some toddlers when I saw the zoo staff allowing the
kids to ride on the backs of ostriches and turtles for kicks, and
having a baby crocodile for photo ops with what looked like several
yards of clear tape wrapped around its mouth.
Makes you ponder the quote by
Jacques Deval: “God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved
the birds and invented cages.”
If you haven’t seen
“Wanted” it’s great ride. When I grow up, I want to be
Angelina Jolie.
Email me at mlatimes.fangirl@gmail.com
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