Wat's Up

One of the interesting things to do in Thailand is to visit Wat Complexes (a Wat is a Buddhist relgious center).  It consists of a collection of buildings within an enclosure.  The Wat will often house monks, small shops, and often open areas where people can gather.  

The Wats that I visited showed the most complex and distinctly Thai architecture that I saw.  They were all very welcoming to visitors even when they were in use.  I witnessed people receiving blessings from monks and learning about Buddhism and participating in rituals.  I did not take pictures of these.  

At one Wat the monk enjoyed having foreign visitors.  I was with a guide that day so she helped me interact with the monk.  I wrote down my name and country of origin for his "list" (I'm not sure what he did with the list, I think he put it somewhere within the Wat complex) and he performed a blessing ceremony.

The ceremony was in Thai and all I know is that he dipped a brush into water and then splashed it on to me and ended up with him tying a beaded bracelet on my wrist (without touching me, monks do not touch women).  The guide explained that the blessing did not necessarily mean that something good would happen to me, it might mean that something bad would not be as severe as it could be without the blessing or that I would have strength to deal with an upcoming bad event.  

Each Wat complex had a few things in common.  A large gong that could either be struck or rubbed (if you rub it just right it "sings"), bells (large and small) and lots of images of the Buddha.

Images are from several different locations. 

 

Back from an Adventure

I believe in living life on the Edge, moving outside my Comfort Zone and doing things that most people would never be brave enough to try.  This summer it was a trip to Thailand.  Oh, I have stories to tell and even photos of gardens to post but I'm still very, very jet lagged so I'm posting some highlight photos.  Yes, that is me and yes, those are Asian Elephants.  I'll tell the story of what I was doing later this week.  But for now, I'm showing off. 

First day of meeting elephants.  I forgot to write down this one's name.

 This is the "baby," her name is Am

 We did a vet check on this girl, her name (spelled phonetically) is Poon - Lau

 I got to take her temperature.  I'm not sure which of us was more thrilled.

 At the Research Center - we were testing how elephants think about the world

 Poon- Lau again.  One perk of working with elephants is getting the chance to ride one.

 The Mahout stayed close by so I got to relax and enjoy myself and not worry about controlling the elephant

 We rode the elephants to the pond for their daily bath

 I got soaked

This is the big male, Pooky

 A smaller male, Pepsi

 The females can have small tusks, called Tushies

This is Thangmo

Chimpanzee attack

I've worked with wild and captive exotic animals in a variety of settings - zoos, sanctuaries, veterinary situations - so whenever an exotic animal mauls a keeper or caretaker I try to analyze the situation to make sure I never make the same mistakes.

If you haven't heard - a graduate student was mauled by two adult male chimpanzees at a facility in South Africa called Chimp Eden.  It takes in abused chimpanzees rescued from the pet and bush meat trade.  It does really good work.

This situation is harder for me to analyze.  I've never worked with chimpanzees.  I do know that they are highly intelligent, they use tools and they plan ahead.  And they are STRONG. 

So what happened at Chimp Eden in South Africa?  The photos and videos from there show what appears to be good fencing.  There must have been some weakness where the event occurred.  Possibly some weakness created by the chimps and hidden from the staff (chimps have been known to hide things from their keepers before).

What I do know that the grad student did wrong were two things:  1)  he stepped too close to the fence and 2) he turned his back on chimps.

Most facilities that allow public access have two  barriers between the public and the animals.  The fence of the enclosure and a secondary barrier that keeps the public at a safe distance.  You probably don't even notice these at zoos but they are there.  The grad student who was mauled was between these barriers and therefore too close to the chimps.

The grad student was leading a tour and witnesses state the he had his back to the cage.  This is a major no-no.  If you aren't at a safe distance (and heck, sometimes even if you are at a safe distance) you always watch the animals.

[The few occasions I led tours I would stand sideways to the cage - one eye on the animal and one of the people.  Of course I was working with exotic cats at the time and some of them would...  um... hose you down.  And that would reach further than the safety barrier!]

Do I blame the the grad student?  No, he made mistakes.  He got too comfortable.  He paid the price.

Do I blame the facility?  No, from what I can see most of their procedures and fencing are good.

Do I blame the chimps?  Ha!  No.  They've come from horrific backgrounds and are probably mentally unstable.

So where should the blame fall?  I don't have the data to determine that.  Did the grad student break procedures?  Did the facility not adequately take into consideration the risks?  What triggered the incident?  We may never know.

Hey, I know who to blame!  Let's blame the people who perpetuate a trade in exotic pets and meats and who contributed to the trauma that these chimps had to endure before ending up in the sanctuary.  As a species we really should be doing better by our close relatives.

[image from wikimedia commons - thanks to Caelio]

Ginormous Dragonfly

During the summer we have some very large dragonflies that fly over our yard at rooftop level.  We've never gotten a good look at one. 

Until this week.

I found this handsome devil perched near the ground.  He's about 4 inches long.  [That's ginormous for modern dragonflies, there is a size limit based at least in part on the oxygen concentration of the air - modern air has less oxygen than prehistoric monsters with wingspans over 2 feet].

I'm not sure of the ID on this guy.  I'm still looking.  Any ideas?

Foundation Plantings Problems... or WWTT?

I've found choosing foundation plantings to be a bit... problematic.  When I look around I see several common themes.  One of which is plants that are too big for the spot.

Think these foundation plants got a bit out of control?

Um... No

Found at an LGC a few weeks back.  The container says "Nature's Classics"

The plant? 

Not exactly something nature designed...

Any advice for Smuggling?

Last year in Panama I saw a purple blooming Anthurium.  I wanted it.  I thought about plucking off a leaf and smuggling it back into the US.  

Then I thought - don't be silly.  This is the age of the internet.  You can find anything.

Wrong.

Well, partly.

I can find purple Anthuriums for sale.  From Hawaii.  Including shipping that costs, like, triple digits.  More than I usually spend on a single plant.

So I kept looking.  And looking.  And looking.

Finally found one -see?!

Unfortunately this one was for sale (for a reasonable price) at KEW GARDENS IN ENGLAND. 

Thought about buying it (couldn't steal a leaf to root, too many witnesses) and trying to smuggle it back to the US.  The Husband thought that was a bad idea.

Spoilsport.

He also said he wouldn't bail me out if I got caught.

So I continue to live without a purple Anthurium.

I has a sad.

[Did I hear a someone say there's an Orange one?]