Chinese people are seriously, well, uhm, let’s just say interesting. After articles like cats being injected with neon chemicals, I thought I had seen it all, but clearly not! The latest thing happening in the land of sick, is lions riding horses! No, I’m not joking!
The country which gave you bears riding bikes now proudly presents … lions and tigers on horseback. In one of the nation’s most notorious zoos, applauding spectators are treated to a bizarre display as a 30-stone lion leaps on to the horse’s back.
Then it rides around the ring while a trainer with a whip keeps it moving. After that, a 35-stone tiger climbs up on the same terrified steed for its turn in the limelight. The shocking pictures come from the animal park at Xiamen in Fujian, south-east China, where the public seem to delight in humiliating circus-style stunts and have no regard for animal cruelty.
Conditions are poor, with big cats including lions, tigers and leopards and other large animals including bears kept in solitary confinement in tiny cages.
Honestly, animal rights is a touchy subject, as Rox said when she came across this, for many folk and this one just tops the cake, how can this actually be found enjoyable?
Totally wrong in my opinion! =\
Same old shit hey, the mindless masses pay for this, so it goes on.
You know what though, I was reading on Peta news that they have managed to all but get this big circus called Ringly’s shut down due to donations and public support. They also managed to cut all their potential sponsorships down, and have gotten the sponsors who were planning on supporting Ringly’s onto their side.
Circuses are becoming passe lately, if they have live animal acts that is.
Bring on the clowns and trapeze instead, lol.
Ye, I just don’t get how twisted the human mind can get, but in terms of quantity of people with twisted minds, rather than just individuals. I’d most certainly not support an event like this and I reckon 99% of the people I know wouldn’t either. It’s whack.
Interesting to hear about Ringly’s being closed down, that’s good news, awesome to hear that people will go to such an effort, big up to them!
Haha, clowns.. Reminds me of that Sex and the City episode where Carrie fscks out because she’s terrified of clowns ;)
They haven’t been shut down yet, but there attendance is getting lower and lower as more sponsors and audiences pull out. They’re still clinging on though, still treating their animals like dirt, no lessons learnt there… but Peta are pushing for support to dig that final nail into their coffin.
That’s just awful :-(
You can even see how panic stricken the poor horse is in these pictures
Ah, I misread Rox, sorry ;) Well, I hope they do get forced to shut down, but then I worry about what happens to the poor animals =(
Louisa – Totally awful! :(
I agree – it is very wrong. The poor horses must be terrified, and the cats must be incredibly stressed, especially after living in such horrid conditions. Thank you for making more people aware of this horrid practice.
I really wish someone who knew the law would step in and comment on this, so we could all find out if there is anything we could do.
I hear more and more stories about animals being treated badly and exploited inorder to make a quick buck. It’s beyond my mind how people could be so unfair!
The rabbit hole on this issue goes so deep Chris. Amnesty International have long highlighted the horrors of China’s human rights abuses.
It’s a really good thing that the world is finally getting the visuals on what goes on.
I stopped animal activism many years back when I saw the magnitude and truly unforgettably horrific cruelty that happens even on a simple day-to-day level at the markets. Going through Asia with that lens on could make you utterly despair of life or ferociously hell.bent & mercenary.
Worth suggesting that anyone who is in anyway angered by this consider supporting WWF http://www.panda.org or PETA http://peta.org.
Especially for those of us who are bloggers & social media fiends – both have easy online activism programs :) :)
Agreed Max. The more visual exposure the better, photographs really hit home, whereas the usual medium is text, which doesn’t carry such an emotional draw.
I know I could never get involved, I’m far too soft and emotional to deal with such horrific animal abuse :(
I shall hop on over to those links you provided and take a read right away!
Thanks for popping in Max :)
aw thats a horrible thing to do, but that second picture of the lion is really damn cute hahaha it seems like its saying.. ” YEAAAAAAAH!”
hahahahahah
hehe – how you babes? Been such a loooong time, really miss you <3
You know what could be cool, is if we made or got some buttons or little banners supporting causes. Something similar to the ‘I Know Vincent Maher’ type buttons, but saying ‘I Support Peta/WWF’.
Going on to the Peta site now, want to check out their online activism thing. Thanks for the heads up Max.
One shudders to think about the conditioning which these animals must have gone through to do things like this, which are completely against their nature.
China’s morality is basically where western civilisation was a few hundred years ago. Animal cruelty was common in the Roman Empire; and kings of France were known to enjoy watching live cats being lowered by a rope onto fires.
@Rox – It’s a good idea, a ribbon, would be the most ideal way of doing it. I will see if I get a chance to put one together :)
@SAF – I thought about that too, the training must have instilled more fear in those poor animals lives than ever before and it scares me to think of the abuse they received to condition them! Ye, it’s primitive behavior which needs to have an end put to!
Heyya Rox :) pleasure.. & the reason I mentioned both WWF & PETA is that they have the buttons ready to go >>
they get social media & use it well
But always cool to hook up yr own creative style in it. I zipped up a WWF link through on the footer of my blog to link with my theme.
Use your powers for good :-D
YAY so stoked that you guys are supporting this!
Tomorrow I’m going to try put together a ribbon if my designer is online. I’ll publish some code and see if we can get a bit of a push on it!
Will be great to see what the powers of local blogging can do in order to create awareness!
Chris, you ROCK!
;)
Awesome – ribbons will be great. If we can even go a step further and call them something like ‘Bloggers Against Animal Abuse’ or whatever, I think we can make this viral. :-)
P.S. I found some Peta banners, going to ask my developer about adding one on Roxilla as well.
I just need to find the time, I slept a great deal more today than I wanted to, but was up until 5am, so perhaps that was a good thing.
I need to contact my designer as well and get him to put a concept together as I cannot design a good ribbon.
Peta banners? Why does that ring a bell?
Because Max was mentioning them a few comments up in this post hun, hehehe. Wake up and go get yourself some coffee! :-)
But the ribbon idea is a very good one, I think ribbons and banners, anything to spread the word will be awesome.
P.S. http://www.roxilla.co.za/2008/02/10/animal-wrongs/
Ah ya, of course, sorry, I’m still half asleep :)
Ribbons are nice as they are unobtrusive and quick to add to a site.
I read your post :)
Sjoe Roberto, that’s a rather intense reply. I am probably going to have to moderate your post, as there are a few things I try to avoid on my website. But you’re definitely passionate about the topic, which is great!
If you also find this a gruwesome act, please go to:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/hope-for-horse-made-to-carry-lion
and sign the petition!
If you choose to leave a comment, please refrain from abusive or insulting language towards the Chinese, as these signatures cannot be submitted.
Thank you
Good to see sites like this Isanne, it’s horrible to see what people will do :(
Hi Chris,
Yes it is. Actually the initiative takers of the petition are from South Africa, they started it after reading an article by a South African journalist. They’ve had contact with animal rights organisations in China; it’s difficult but there have been succeses in the past and many people are making an effort to put it to an end.
I hope that a lot more people will sign the petition, so thank you for allowing me to post the link on your blog. : )
Ye, I’m hoping that some of my readers will click through and participate, because it’s all about awareness!
Hi Chris
I’m a horse person, as I have been for 12 years and I just want to say that what these people are doing is torture to this poor horse.
It’s a horses natural instinct to flee its predator but here they are trying to tell it to ignore all its instincts just for human entertainment.
This is disgusting ignorance and I hope that the place is shut down for it.