Europe's oldest elephant died after Romanian police set their dogs on it when it refused to enter its winter quarters, a new report has revealed.
Bucharest zoo staff originally claimed that Gaya, 48, had died of old age. But a report commissioned by the city council, which owns the zoo, found that keepers had asked local police to set their dogs on the elephant to force it to move from its pen.
The scandal emerged six months after Romania's entry into the EU turned the spotlight on the fate of animals in the country's 29 zoos.
Animal rights groups had hoped that EU membership, with new laws on minimum cage sizes, would improve the situation. But without the funding to make the changes, zoo managements have been left with animals they can no longer afford to keep, or to re-house.
The new report reveals that Gaya panicked, fell, and broke a leg, after being bitten a number of times by the dogs. Eyewitnesses said the female elephant, which weighed four tons, was too heavy to lift and had been left on the ground for two days by zoo staff, who did not know what else to do.
According to the report, the animal cried out continuously until it died, probably from stress and respiratory problems. It also revealed that less valuable zoo animals had been killed as food for more expensive reptiles, and noted that no staff member had been fired or faced any criminal charges.
At the zoo last week one visitor, Mirela Ionescu, 32, said: "I had hoped things might be better now but I can see little has changed. Zoos here in Romania are even sadder places than they were."
Other zoos are also struggling to keep going. In Timisoara in western Romania, zoo managers have three lions which they are expecting to have to shoot because time has run out to find them a new home.
Mihaita Afrenie, the zoo's manager, said: "Putting them down seems to be our only option now because the new EU rules say that their cage isn't big enough."
Not much in the way of prior notice to local residents, just to businesses. They are idiots for not rescheduling or at least getting the word out better.
BBC chiefs have apologised for staging a massive explosion in a crowded city centre. Shoppers feared a terrorist bombing when the blast rocked streets during filming for Dr Who spin-off series Torchwood.
Police issued an alert just two hours before the blast was due in Cardiff city centre - because of the latest terrorist attacks in Glasgow and London. The BBC staged the explosion next to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff yards from the busy shopping streets, restaurants and bars in the Welsh capital.
Passers-by were horrified by the blast in an old courtroom building which sent a huge pall of smoke over the city centre. Father-of-three Pete Humphries, 47, said: "The BBC must be mad doing this now. It was loud and frightening.
"It is incredibly insensitive. My blood ran cold when I heard that bang."
Mum-of-two Amanda Thomas, 34, said: "I jumped out of my skin. It was a huge bang - and I thought of terrorism straight away. You'd think the police might have stopped the BBC doing it after what's happened over the last few days with terrorism.
"They've targeted London and Glasgow so any major city might be next."
Her mum Brenda Protheroe, 59, said: "It was quite a bang and everyone looked shocked. It sound like a clap of thunder but deeper. We've had a lot of storms recently but we knew it wasn't thunder. It sounded exactly like a bomb. You could tell people were worried all around us.
"What an earth were the BBC thinking of doing this now - couldn't it have waited a couple of weeks?"
The BBC issued their own warning on local radio and online just an hour before the blast was due - too late for many of the frightened shoppers. It was due to have two blasts two hours apart but cut it to one after the security alert.
Police sent uniformed officers to calm people passing and the BBC has their own private security teams on standby. Inspector Andy Walbeoff, of South Wales Police, said: "We decided to issue the warning to the public because of the heightened state of alert following the other incidents.
"It was short notice because of the change of events but we realised some people would be frightened "We didn't want people running away thinking they were real bombs going off.
"We watched the explosion from our control rooms on our cameras and it seemed to make a mighty bang."
The blasts rocked a former county court building, now empty, in the city's Westgate Street. It was turned into a "Telecommunications and Mobile Switching Centre" for the filming. Huge cannons sent papers into the street, a pall of smoke went out and stunt people were seen rolling around in agony.
The filming was for new Torchwood series starring John Barrowman due to be screened later this year. A BBC production team member said: "The filming was planned many weeks ago before the recent terrorist incidents.
"We had informed neighbouring businesses but could not tell everyone who might be in the city centre. We apologise if anyone was frightened."
#1
This is the show they came up with after they added pansexualism to kiddie show Dr. Who and then decided it would be better without all the distracting "Doctor" stuff. You think they're actually going to start exhibiting SENSE?
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/02/2007 11:06 Comments ||
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#4
Vigilante Swedish moose, enraged that a camel would move in from overseas and try to crowd them out of their ecological niche, take matters into their own antlers. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
07/02/2007 11:45 Comments ||
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#5
Undoubtedly being smuggled in for sexual use by the growing Muzz community you've welcomed in. Get used to it.
The left flank consisted of the 20th Maine regiment and the 83rd Pennsylvania. Seeing the Confederates shifting around his flank, Chamberlain first stretched his line to the point where his men were in a single-file line, then ordered the southernmost half of his line to swing back during a lull following another Confederate charge. It was there that they "refused the line"formed an angle to the main line in an attempt to prevent the Confederate flanking maneuver. Despite heavy losses, the 20th Maine held through two subsequent charges by the 15th Alabama and other Confederate regiments for a total of ninety minutes.
On the final charge, knowing that his men were out of ammunition, that his numbers were being depleted, and further knowing that another charge could not be repulsed, Chamberlain ordered a maneuver that was considered unusual for the day: He ordered his left flank, which had been pulled back, to advance with bayonets. As soon as they were in line with the rest of the regiment, the remainder of the regiment charged, akin to a door swinging shut. This simultaneous frontal assault and flanking maneuver halted and captured a good portion of the 15th Alabama. . . .
Thirty years later, Chamberlain received a Medal of Honor for his conduct in the defense of Little Round Top. The citation read that it was awarded for "daring heroism and great tenacity in holding his position on the Little Round Top against repeated assaults, and carrying the advance position on the Great Round Top."
Posted by: Mike ||
07/02/2007 06:55 ||
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#1
Chamberlain was a first-class stud. From his Wikipedia entry: In all, Chamberlain served in twenty battles and numerous skirmishes, he was cited for bravery four times, had six horses shot under him, and was wounded six times. Chamberlain died of his lingering wartime wounds in 1914 at Portland, Maine, age 85. He was the last Civil War veteran to die as a result of wounds from the war. A full study of his medical history strongly suggests that it was complications from the wound suffered at Petersburg that resulted in his death.
#3
Here's an article written by a former Army officer and West Point instructor, about using the leadership skills of Chamberlain with today's officers. Gettysburg colonel serves as example today It's a good read.
#4
...If you EVER get the chance, go to the battlefield and stand in Chamberlain's footsteps - they're clearly marked. To his left is a 40-foot drop, to his right was the rest of the Union line - he was literally the end of the line, the Last Man. Had he failed, Gettysburg would have ended in a Confederate victory, Washington would have been wide open, and our history would have been very, very different.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/02/2007 11:10 Comments ||
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#5
Several years ago I took my family to Gettysburg battlefield; we were up on one of the observation platforms picturing the events when a War College class convened on the ground below for their lesson and discussion. I didn't want to leave - but the family grew antsy. Fortunately for me, during the 10-15 minutes we stood 'in the back of the class' the instructor's lecture was consistent with (and added to) what I had been 'teaching.'
#6
Actually there was a Wisconsin Regt in a refused flank position about 500 meters down the back of the hill from Chamberlain that was the extreme left flank. That little paved road that goes up the back of Lil' Roundtop can you get there - good little walk. 20th Maine was actually on a hinge.
#8
Thanks, Procopius. I really have to buy that movie.
I know that it's partly because of the music, but that scene give me chills every time I see it - and I'm a Southerner.
What an admirable man Chamberlain was!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/02/2007 19:49 Comments ||
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#9
AS, the best part of that movie for me was when Ted Turner's character gets killed, but that will do.
Actually, there are a lot of disputes about whether the 'wheel' manuver actually happened, or whether it was simply a general charge. Chamberlain was somewhat self-aggrandizing at times. His bravery is without question, though, and he richly deserved the honor of accepting the surrender at Appamattox.
We also didn't see the detached company of sharpshooters who enfiladed the Alabamans during the charge.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
07/02/2007 19:51 Comments ||
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#10
#9 Eric: "the best part of that movie for me was when Ted Turner's character gets killed"
Well, yeah - but that gave me a good laugh, not chills. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/02/2007 19:59 Comments ||
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#11
Eric, according to my tour guide - a retired Marine LtCol by the name of Heinz, (this was back in spring 2005 & he'd been giving tours for about 20 yrs) he said that Chamberlain never ordered a charge. Also said that "the killer angels" (book Gettysburg is derived from) has about 200 historical errors. I guess a good portion of the 20th Maine men were trying to get better firing positions and others were collecting rifles off the dead Rebs and other Yanks that had died. Due to the soles of their leather shoes on the big flat rocks & the steep incline of the hill, some started slipping and ended up running down the hill. The rest of the company being confused followed - some thought a charge had been called - so down they went en masse. My guide claimed this because many were out of ammo and many memoir never mention a call to fix bayonets. I've never cross checked so don't know for sure. AFAIK - It's disputed if an actual reb counter charge was coming up Round Top at the same time.
The Daily Mash, Scotland's version of ScrappleFace.
TWO men who drove a lit car into the main concourse at Glasgow Airport are to be charged under Scotland's tough anti-smoking laws. The attackers were caught on CCTV as they lit-up a four litre Jeep Cherokee and then allowed it to burn in an enclosed public place.
Eyewitness Janice Bramble, 34, from Girvan, said: "Not only was the car emitting smoke but one of the men lit-up a petrol bomb right in front of me.
"It's incredibly rude. Why I should have to go home with my clothes stinking of petrol bombs?"
Scotland has some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in Europe with penalties including the cat o' nine tails, death by lions and a £50 fine.
Maureen Moore, director of Ash Scotland, said: "Emitting smoke is a form of terrorism. Yes it is, shut up."
She added: "Petrol bombs contain 275 known carcinogens, and that's just the petrol.
"If people want to throw petrol bombs they should do so in their own living rooms when the children have gone to bed."
Detective Inspector Bill McKay said: "This incident may seem like nothing more than playful high-jinx, but we take smoking in public places very seriously indeed."
Posted by: Mike ||
07/02/2007 11:06 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
