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| Thursday, 14 February 2002 |
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Dog lovers are a funny breed. They lavish love and affection on their pets, treat them as family members and are extremely sensitive and considerate towards their dog’s every need.But this consideration somehow, sometimes, seems to be reserved only for their canine pals, and not to their neighbours or even the unsuspecting man on the street. One has only to recall the `daily confrontations’ as it were with mounting loads of ‘doggie droppings’ to realise the point. So this grouse is against all the inconsiderate dog owners and not their dogs. This appeal is to take these ‘canine lovers’ to task for allowing or should I say encouraging their pets to pooh all over the street. Mind you, merely in the name of taking their `dog for a walk’ or a `bit of exercise.’Why isn’t there a law in Sri Lanka that makes it mandatory for dog owners to clean up after their pets ? A sort of ‘poop and scoop’ practice like in many other cou ntries. A fine system imposed to ensure that these canine lovers pick up after their dogs, instead of acting blissfully ignorant while their ‘pets answer there doggy calls of nature’ near every neighbour’s gate, garden, parapet wall and sometimes right in the middle of the street.Entrapping as it were some unsuspecting soul’s feet or splashed out like a ghastly painting to greet one’s eyes first thing in the morning. Why cannot a fine be imposed if the owner is around and does not clean up ? or carry it away with him or her and dispose it in the correct way ? After all, it does not the cost the earth to buy and carry around a plastic bag and a scoop.Although it can be argued (by the critics) that it looks silly and is impossible to keep a tab on every dog on the street, it is usually not too difficult to spot the regular dog owner who takes his pet or pets for their early morning/ evening walks. The dog is man’s best friend. It takes only a sense of social responsibility on the part of dog owners to keep that friendship alive. Tharika goonathilake ‘Rambo’ of Udawalawe - New phenomena by Srilal Miththapala It is around 2 p.m. in the afternoon, warm, hot and arid along the Udawalawe-Tanamalwila road which skirts the Udawalawe National Park. The vegetation is dry, and only the sugar cane plantations on the southern side seem to be holding their own against the heat. Almost dead straight the ‘B’ grade highway, emanates shimmering waves of heat, conjuring up distant mirages - not at all the most conducive environment for any sane thinking animals to be out in the open, leave alone the world’s largest land mammal - The Elephant. However, much against all these theoretical deterrents, a big bull elephant stands right up to the electric wire fence at the edge of the national park bordering the road. He is “Rambo” (so christened by the villagers) and he draws quite a lot of onlookers and a bevy of small schoolchildren, standing casually by the side of the road who are the main “co-ordinators” of this road side event. Whilst vehicles passing by stop by the side for a “free show,” the kids throw across pieces of sugar cane collected by them, fallen off from tractors transporting the cane to the Sevanagala Sugar Factory. Rambo deftly catches a stem of sugar cane thrown by an able bodied teenager, in his trunk and chomps away with relish. Not to be out done, and to show off to the throng of “Colombo onlookers,” a little village girl, still in her school uniform, tries to out do her elder brother, and the piece of sugar cane falls close to the fence on the outside. Not to be out done, Rambo inches right up to the fence and very dexterously slides his trunk through the gap between the lowest strand of the electric wire and the ground and picks up the piece of sugar cane in his probiscus. “Oohs!” and “ahs!” emanate from the on lookers and there is even some muted applause and Rambo peers at them, with his short sighted eyes and almost takes a bow. This is becoming a very common sight around the 7th-9th mile post, along the Udawalawe - Tanamalwila road. Schoolchildren living in the area, have developed this affinity with Rambo and most often the animal is there to greet them as they return home after school. Rambo himself is a full grown 35-40 year old bull elephant in prime condition, albeit with a slightly drooping ears with good de-pigmentation of the trunk and ears indicating his maturity. Obviously, by repeated practice, he has grown accustomed to the schoolchildren feeding him on a regular basis, treating himself to tasty “free” morsels.While indeed it is a very interesting, unique and ‘cute’ phenomena to the average laymen, one should hasten to consider the potential dangers of this situation. The elephants in the Udawalawe park are wild. Period. However, much we like to think of them as residents of the park who are accustomed to interactions with visitors, they are fundamentally wild animals and we should therefore, try to minimise any form of familiar interactions with them which could lead to potentially dangerous situations. Due to their high level of intelligence, elephants will quickly latch on to something new, which gives them satisfaction and rewards, which is what is happening in the case of Rambo. Due to his instinct and learning experiences, perhaps he is programmed to remember that the electric wire fence if touched could give him a major jolt (from past experience perhaps or information shared and passed down through social interactions).However, what no one has perhaps thought, is that the electricity in the fence is switched off during the day and that Rambo, does not know this (thankfully so). He does not know that his laborious aerobics to get at the sugar cane fallen on the outside without touching the wire is quite unnecessary. What will happen of course is, in due course, that Rambo will make a mistake and touch the wire, and lo and behold find that it does not carry its “magic power.” He will then only have to lean his back side against the post or simply step over the wire to get a larger amount of sugar cane, so abundantly available on the other side. It is due to this type of misguided interactions, that we face a lot of accidents in our interactions with wild animals and particularly so, with a 3 ton giant. The villagers should be advised that there is no fun in this dangerous game that they are playing, and that at the end of the day, we will all be losers - the villagers, sugar cane plantations and above all poor Rambo, who will end up (if he is lucky enough) with a couple of kilo grams of buck shot, and painfully infected wounds and be a man hating, loner thereafter.(Courtesy Nature) ‘Wild’ romance The art of romancing through music and songs to woo one’s desired partners is not limited to mankind. Like humans, all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish often use extraordinary ways and rituals to lure their ‘sweethearts’. Their ways of flirting, fighting, dancing and romancing to mate and reproduce is as unique and different as each human relationship. Their courtship may not involve flowers and chocolates, but their flirtations are just as sweet. Here are some of their wild wooing ways. Orangutan
It can be heard nearly a mile away. Females are quite selective in their choice of partner, listening to the calls, seeking out the largest males as a mate and seducing him by showing her rump. These reddish brown, shaggy-haired primates live in parts of Sumatra and Borneo.
Once they’ve located each other, the female crouches on the ground with her head lowered or tucked tightly into her chest and her rear raised, adopting a “come and get me” posture. American Alligator The male American alligator looks tough with his rough skin and jagged teeth. Really he’s more like a reptilian Casanova, stroking the female, rumbling gently and even blowing bubbles against her cheeks. These powerful meat-eaters live in marshes, rivers and swamps of the southeastern United States, mating each April in shallow waters. Their courtship is slow and quiet. Common terns Terns use a variety of calls during courtship and mating, from the slow seductive “keeearr” call to the sharp “kek-kek” call to fight off unwelcome males. Terns use song and dance during courtship along the coast and on large lakes, with the males performing aerial displays marked by steep descents and glides. In the early stages of courtship, a male will often take fish in his bill to attract the attention of females. Other males have been known to act like females, just to get the fish. Female terns will give a “ki-ki” call, a song that says: “Hey, lover-boy, bring me that fish.” Acid Rain and environment Acid rain is a direct consequence of industrial activity. Sulphur dioxide rises from burning fossil fuels and reacts with water to produce sulfuric acid. As well, the nitrous oxides found in pollution are converted into nitric acid. These substances then fall to Earth as rain and snow. The landing area of acid rain is affected by weather pattern and wind. Acid rain might fall up to 500 km away from where it was actually produced.Sulfuric and nitric acids are detrimental to all plant life. Acid precipitation burns plants causing them to turn yellow and die. If this phenomenon occurs in a concentrated area, entire forests, and the life they support, can be killed. Because of acid rain, forests are now dying in several industrialized regions of the world, including Germany, Scandinavia, India, Russia and the United States.Acid rain also destroys the ecological system of lakes and rivers. In some countries due to acid rain, there are lakes where no ecological life can exist and where human recreational activities are prohibited. In regions where people depend on fish for survival, acid rain can cause many serious problems. Aside from killing off entire ecosystems, acid rain is also causing the corrosion of several important national treasures and buildings as well as the weathering of structures vital to transportation systems, such as bridges.Measurements over large areas of North America and Europe have shown that rain is often ten times more acidic there than normal. Tuousands of lakes have been affected in Canada, Scandinavia, Scotland and the United States - and in many of them all fish have been killed. While acid rain used to be a problem only in developed countries, that issue is emerging in countries such as Brazil, China, India and Jamaica. The problem of acid rain is an example of the interconnectedness of all environmental issues. It starts out as a waste problem (carbon emissions), then turns into an atmospheric problem (carbon and chemicals in the air), and then finally ends up a forestry and land use problem (deforestation and desertification due to dying forests) as well as a water problem (high acid levels in lakes)- Saumya Sri Chaturanga Aloysius.
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Produced by Lake House |
Environmentally Yours.....Gone
to the dogs?
Male orangutans are known for their “long call”, a series of
grumbling and burbling sounds ending in a bellow that is used to keep other males away and
attract females. While calling, the male shakes branches and topples dead trees, sending
out a fearsome roar that can last several minutes. 
Each spring, barks, bleats and roars resonate through China’s forests as
wild pandas sing for their mates. Males will even climb trees to broadcast his
presence. 
