North Korea: Creepy to Animals, Too

What do you get for a fellow despot of an impoverished country? How about a menagerie? Conservation groups are pissed that Zimbabwe is sending North Korea a mini-menagerie--two of every species from Hwange National Park.

Somalia gave Kim Il Sung an Ass photo by (stephan)

You can only imagine how a nation that can't provide food and electricity for its own people will treat elephants and lions from Africa. Actually, you don't have to imagine. Some news reports make it seem ambiguous where they might go. But there's only one zoo in North Korea and it's totally sad, crappy, creepy and unaccredited.


Asia Times reports that a bunch of animal fighting films have come out of North Korea and pits animals against each other to fight to the death--just the kind of flick our Supreme Court endorsed.

"In all probability, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sanctioned the filming of Fighting Animals, or at least gave it his curious approval - though there is no evidence he was directly involved despite his well-documented interest in filmmaking," the Asia Times says. "The film's producers would have needed access to rare and valuable animals and the only place in the country that holds them is the Central Zoo in Pyongyang."

The Pyongyang Central Zoo was hit by bird flu

Aside from the animal fighting scandal, Lonely Planet says all the animals at the Korea Central Zoo, also known as the Pyongyang Central Zoo, "look pretty forlorn Worst off are the big cats...kept in woefully inadequate compounds." Visitors also describe and photograph lots of cats and dogs at the zoo. Of course, North Korea has a different way to describe it: "Working people and school youth and children have a pleasant time, seeing animals associated with meaningful stories." They also report renovations.

Zimbabwe defended the deal as just a business transaction, not political. Is that better? They're selling two elephants too young to be separated from their mother for $10,000 each, $900 each giraffe, $600 per zebra and then, the AP reports, some cheap birds: $10 each for blue crane, saddle-billed stork and white pelican. The blue crane seems like a real bargain: they're listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with only 26,000 left and falling and range maps don't even show them in Zimbabwe.

Some animals do get out of North Korea. In 1995 a Siberian tiger named Rail went to the south. In 2005 Seoul got a bear and lynx--but sent in a hippo and llama.  

The only good thing that can be said of the deal is that wild animals are pretty much doomed under Mugabe anyway. Zimbabwe's Conservation Task Force explains that Mugabe didn't just take land from white farmers, he took it from parks and wildlife, too.

Where to Go See Big Cats

조선 중앙 동물원

Actual White Elephant Becomes High Maintenance Burden to Burmese Farmers

The 2003 white elephant Rati Malar

Boy, some elephant handler in Myanmar must regret that day in January when he saw a white elephant. The handler told forest officials and eventually the military junta came to look for the animal that has mystical powers in local culture and Buddhism. Now, the Independent reports, the 50 soldiers have conscripted tons of local, forcing them to abandon their families and farms in search of the talisman of prosperity and power.

I wonder if because of this ordeal the Burmese will take the western meaning of "white elephant" as an overly demanding luxury item.

This white elephant is wily in addition to being sacred. It was first sighted in 2008, but no one was able to catch it then, either.  White animals can either be leucistic (fur or skin is white, but eyes  normal) or albino (white skin, red eyes, and often vision and sunburn problems).

In a previous white elephant situation in 2001, many locals speculated that a white elephant claimed by the junta was really an imposter, a pedestrian grey elephant that had undergone some kind of makeover at "an elephant-shed at Athak-naing-ra village" and renamed appropriately, Naringara News reported.  The Independent says that elephant eventually "fell out of favor" along with the government it was supposed to be lucky to. No word on where it went; it's not like washed up white elephants can just get some low-key gig in the hinterlands.

The other elephants in Burma don't get nearly the love his white one does. An elephant advocacy group, EleAid says that there are maybe 5,000 wild elephants left in the country and probably more kept in captivity, working in logging, tourism or sacred ceremonies.  The IUCN Red List says the Asian elephant is endangered and has a "a wide, but highly fragmented, distribution in Myanmar." If they catch this white elephant, it will be treated like royalty, with jewels and fancy dishes. Of course, that's the human idea of fun; the elephant would rather just hang out with its herd.

Elephant Baby Drama

Ever wonder how elephants give birth? Me neither. But this Bali Adventure Tours video--which does have a lot of birthy gore--shows you. There's a dramatic twist at the end. Hint: They probably wouldn't publicize a graphic video of a stillbirth.