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Regarding the Oct. 30 Rocky Mountain News article, "6-year-old Denver hippo dies
after move to Calgary Zoo," never have I been as outraged by a single quotation
in a news story!

The hippo was locked in a crate for 30 hours, and the spokeswoman for the
Calgary Zoo has the nerve to say "She chose to lay down too long and it cut off the
circulation to her legs." What? She "chose"? Talk about blaming the victim!

What was the poor animal supposed to do in the crate for 30 hours -
calisthenics? I think the hippo had very little choice in the whole matter. I
would hope that human beings entrusted with the care of animals would accept
responsibility for the choices they make, and not attribute poor choices to the
animals in their care.

Jackie Kaminsky Hoffman, Centennial

READER COMMENTS

Stop the presses! One of the most violent species on the face of the planet hads lost one of thier own. A hippo died from being transported from Denver to Canada. Only a 30 hour treck, much shorter then the treck from Africa to America. This hippo was obviously forced to lay down and die.

We have to get congress to do an investigation immediatly into animal care across this nation and give animals what they truely desrve. Equal rights and protections under the law. After all they were here before man and global warming.

Is this story real, or a metaphor for the Canadian health care system.?

I have to say that the quote Jackie pointed out caught my eye in my reading, too, and I also questioned it.
Animals being transported do not CHOOSE, rather they have had conditions imposed upon them which limit their "choices" and the poor creature did what she could to survive, just as anybody else would have done.
Shame on whoever didn't check her in time to be of assistance.

Ms Hoffman and Ms Hansen make the logical conclusions. This hippo's safety was the direct responsibility of those who decided to move the hippo from her original environment. It may not be Earth shaking when a young hippo dies but it should be disconcerting that humans made mistakes they shouldn't have. Somebody was asleep at the wheel.

The serial anonymous Repuke at 6:25 again shows what a worthless pile of pig offal they are.

same thing could happen to Rush Limbaugh

I don't know whether to despise Keith or feel sorry for him with his limited vocabulary. He says "get the facts" and then says Bush's approval rating is at 35% where every poll has him at 25% causing me to wonder why it is so high but then I am reminded of Keith’s mentality. I am ready to do to him what Burr did to Hamilton and Keith is thinking: What did he do?

No name at 10:07, a$%hole. Its called sarcasim.

A few facts for you. More people are killed by hippo attacks in africa then any other animal per yer.

Point being made is that ther are other news stories not being reported that have a higher importance then the lack of supoervision on the transport of an animal.

But from your tone it looks like falsehoods about global warming and animal rights are the top of your list of important things.

Bush is to blame, its his fault! And you can throw in Cheney, Halliburton and Rove. They are to blame.

"same thing could happen to Rush Limbaugh"

Yes, but a hippo is much more valuable to society than Rush Limpballs.

Wish they'd crate up some of the deranged wingnuts who post here & send them on a LONG one way journey. Make them share the crate with Limpballs & Keith - imagine the hot air & B.O. coming out of that! They'd collapse a lot quicker than the hippo.

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