Cordite's stories

Zoo Hosts Tours On Animal Homosexuality
Sun 11 May 2003 - 08:06

Among other events in celebration of "Warm May", the city of Zurich is conducting hour-long tours at their zoo focusing on homosexuality in the animal kingdom.

Full story at Swissinfo, here

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"Tiger Lady" Loses Four Year Struggle to Keep Cats
Thu 8 May 2003 - 18:31

After four years of legal battles, New Jersey's "Tiger Lady" has lost her ownership rights to the twenty-four Bengal tigers she has been keeping.

The state has been attempting to remove the big cats from Joan Byron-Marasek's custody since 1999, when the police shot a roaming tiger alleged to belong to her. It has since been decided by authorities that her facilities are sub-standard, and that she has failed to obtain the proper permits in due time.

The court ruled that the state holds jurisdiction over the animals, which will be moved to a tiger sanctuary in Texas this summer.

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Car Washes are for Cars... Not Horses.
Thu 8 May 2003 - 16:06

A Nebraska man received a warning from animal control officer John Pettit after he took four horses to a car wash.
Jess Yager was surprised to learn that it is illegal to bathe his horses at the car wash, as he's been doing so for years. Yager says the horses much prefer it to the cold hose at home.

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The Transfiguration of Harold Maines
Thu 8 May 2003 - 07:14

An upcoming film about the transformation of one ordinary man - Harold Maines - into a horse.

From the website:
" What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor? A lawyer? A filmmaker? For Harold Maines the answer was simple. He wanted to be a horse. Midsummer Movies, a Chicago-based independent film company, and director Jared W. Johnson have begun to produce a documentary outlining the details of Harold's life so that you too may be able to decide what you believe about this fantastic event."

The trailer may be viewed here

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Australia to Build War Memorial for Animals
Tue 6 May 2003 - 15:03

Towards the end of this year, Australia is to begin construction of a memorial dedicated to all those animals who served their nation in armed conflict.

At a cost of $214,000, the memorial will honour the animals who hauled men and materiel, carried messages, acted as guards, mascots, or performed countless other duties in time of war.

According to an RSPCA spokeswoman, "It's about all the animals that played a variety of roles in war... We sent an estimated 100,000 horses to World War One alone. Only one came back".

Shuttle Wreckage Yields Tiny Survivors
Fri 2 May 2003 - 20:34

Three months after the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia, investigators have discovered that one of the on-board experiments - containing live worms - survived.

The worms, known as C. elegans, are nematodes about the size of a pencil tip. They were stored in canisters mid-deck aboard the shuttle and had remained unopened until this week. With a life cycle of only about eight days, the worms are several generations removed from their ancestors placed aboard the shuttle in January.

Boyd Webb Film "Horse and Dog"
Wed 30 Apr 2003 - 09:27

Horse and Dog is artist Boyd Webb's fourth film, and it follows the journey of the two animals across the English countryside on a camping trip. A summary of the work is here, with accompanying essay "Noble Beasts", while a less forgiving review can be read in The Guardian

Horse and Dog is showing in London from April 25th - May 25th in the Estorick Collection.

And They Will Make Umbrella Stands of My Feet
Fri 25 Apr 2003 - 14:30

I hate to keep posting news about PETA, but this is just too good. -Cordite
Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, announced recently that she is going to donate her body to her organization so that it may be used in a series of protests.

She has willed that her flesh be barbecued, her skin turned into leather products, her feet into umbrella stands, and her liver vacuum packaged.

"We hope it will start a trend" said Newkirk.

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Big Cat Ranch Found "Completely Disgusting"
Thu 24 Apr 2003 - 16:11

John Weinhart, owner of the nonprofit organization Tiger Rescue, was arrested Tuesday along with three others on charges of improper care and cruelty to animals.

Officials who raided the big cat "retirement home" were horrified to find some 30 dead tigers around the property, as well as young cubs living in the home's attic.

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Hamburg Refuses PETA Name Change Offer
Wed 23 Apr 2003 - 11:25

PETA, in its quest for strange ways to expend its resources, has asked that the town of Hamburg, NY. change it's name in exchange for $15,000 worth of veggieburgers.
The proposed name change? Veggieburg, of course.
Hamburg has held its name since 1812 and has no intentions of changing it. It claims to be the birthplace of the hamburger and is home to the annual Burgerfest.

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