wildcelticrose.net

~
Our community has suffered two significant losses this week.

First, one of our beloved Beluga Whales from the Pt Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Qannik died. He had been sick and stopped eating and playing, but as of yesterday it appeared that he was going to rally and get better. I guess they were wrong about that.

I have mixed feelings about zoos. On principle I feel that it’s wrong to keep a wild animal locked up.

On the other hand, many zoo animals are rescue or rehab animals that wouldn’t survive in the wild. Many zoos have breeding programs to save endangered species and they promote habitat protection and conservation.

The sad fact is that habitat is disappearing and so many wild animals are as well.

By having some on display, the average citizen gets a chance to see them and hopefully care about them and their habitat and perhaps vote, give money or make changes in their personal habits that will save/restore habitat and help these animals.

Yes, in a perfect world people would do this just because it’s “the right thing” and not because if they don’t see it, it doesn’t matter to them.

But this is not a prefect world, it is one in which zoos do have a purpose.

I can say that our Belugas seems very well cared for and loved by their keepers and to honestly be happy.

Here they are. I took this picture on an early morning trip to the zoo last September before anyone else got there. They gave us a private show…

I hope after determining that there was nothing environmental that lead to this and that the pool is safe, that they find a new friend for Beethoven, the remaining whale; they are very social creatures, and I sure he is sad and misses his friend.

~

Next was the announcement of the Closure of the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection housed on the Weyerhauser campus just North of us due to the recession.

This is a truly spectacular world class collection.

As if the trees weren’t awe inspiring enough, the stories are amazing. Some of the trees were nurtured in paper cups by men in Japanese internment camps during World War Two.

I hadn’t been there for at least eight years, so I ran down this morning, when there was a tiny bit of sun to get some photographs and say goodbye to the trees.

They will be on public exhibit through April 1st. The exhibit will open briefly again for Mother’s Day Weekend, then it will close, possibly forever.

I got there right when they opened this morining and was the first one there. I had some peace and quiet in which to say goodbye to the trees, read the stories again, and take some pictures.

I have all of the photos in a Flickr’ slide show here

I know I’ve been joking abut the Icky Boy not leaving for his trip on time and me having to cancel/change plans on Thursday, Friday and last night. (cutting into my girl time)

He finally headed out today and now I’m realizing how much I’m going to miss him (yeah, it’s only two weeks and it was my decision not to go with him)

Yes, I have a lot of catching up to do with friends and at home and I will have more than enough things and people to occupy my time (heaven knows I’ll get more sleep).

But you know what…. I’m gonna miss that Icky Boy.

So much for being “Miss Independent”

~L

Mood: contemplative