Well here we are in “flaming June” – well we can but hope.
Anyway we decided to kick off the new month with a couple of animal related stories starting with a truly bizarre tale from Australia.
A man in New South Wales has just been jailed for having sex with a horse.
Following suspicions of disturbances at the stables, owner of the stables and horse trainer, installed CCTV cameras as a security measure. After the cameras automatically triggered an alarm, police were summoned.
Although police quite literally, caught 31-year old Daniel Raymond Webb-Jackson “in the act”, he pleaded not guilty to the charge of cruelty to an animal, asserting that the act was consensual, as the horse had “winked” at him!!
Nevertheless magistrate, Karen Stafford. found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 10 months in jail along with a $700 fine.
It has been claimed that the incident totally changed the demeanour of the filly, who went from being very quiet to highly strung.
In an effort to get her head right again, she had to be put in her paddock to run around and let off steam.
She is now being prepared to race, which I suppose might allow her to put some distance between her and any future admirers!
Meanwhile from the USA comes the news of a 37-year old chimpanzee, named BRENT, who has been awarded a $10,000 prize for his vibrantly coloured entry to a chimpanzee art competition arranged by the American Humane Society in aid of Chimp Haven in the US state of Louisiana.
Brent, who paints with his tongue, is a retired laboratory animal, and was up against stiff competition, narrowly beating entries from CHEETAH from Save the Chimps in Florida, and RIPLEY from Great Apes, also in Florida, who took second and third prizes of $5000 and $2500 respectively.
Other competitors were each awarded $500 grants for their respective sanctuaries.
The competition garnered 27,000 votes but entries were judged by noted primate researcher and conservationist, Jane Goodall who said, “All of the art was beautiful and unique so it was difficult to choose. It’s so important that the public support all of these sanctuaries in their mission to provide exceptional care to chimpanzees, and other primates, who have suffered through so much.”
Maybe there’s hope for me yet, who knows?
I very much hope to have the pleasure of your company again tomorrow,
Scott
