Copenhagen Zoo Kills Healthy, 2-Year-Old Giraffe

Against international protest, the Copenhagen Zoo put down healthy, 2-year-old giraffe Marius.

Zoo’s scientific director Bengt Holst said they had no choice but to kill the animal. Marius was part of an international breeding program which prohibits inbreeding for the health of the overall species.

“As this giraffe’s genes are over-represented in the breeding program, the European Breeding Programme for Giraffes has agreed that Copenhagen Zoo euthanize him,” said Holst in an interview with Time Magazine.

Marius was anesthetized by zoo staff and then shot through the head with a bolt rifle. Lethal injection was avoided so as not contaminate the meat.

Though putting down Marius despite international pushback was shocking, the zoo’s decision to publicly display the animal’s autopsy at the zoo as an exhibit went a step further.

A small, voluntary group of adults, some with children, watched as the zoo staff picked apart the carcass of the giraffe and then cut up its pieces to be fed to the zoo’s lions.

Scientific proponents spoke on the issue backing the zoo’s decision. "I'm actually proud,” said Stenback Bro, a zoo representative. “I think we have given children a huge understanding of the anatomy of a giraffe that they wouldn't have had from watching a giraffe in a photo.”

In response to the both a Time Magazine and BBC News article, comments filled the pages from outraged parents who believe it dangerous for children to watch autopsies. “That's a lot to process for little kids,” noted a commentor.

Aside from parental concerns, animal rights supporters are also angered all over the world. Stine Jensen, from Denmark's Organisation Against the Suffering of Animals told BBC News the zoo “thinks that putting this giraffe down instead of thinking of alternatives is the best option.”

“We were open about it because we know it was the right thing to do,” Holst told Time Magazine.  “If we’re serious about science, we can’t be led by emotion.”

The question animal rights activists are asking, though, is if Marius needed to die. Other options available for the genetically undesirable animal include contraceptives or neutering.

Contraceptives in giraffes lead to medical problems including renal failure. And Holst told Time Magazine neutering the animal would diminish the animal’s quality of life because mating is an essential part of a giraffe’s well being.

Aside from medical procedures. the zoo also had two offers from establishments willing to take Marius.

The first offer from a Yorkshire zoo was refused Holst said because the spot should be held for an animal with more significant genes. The second offer, from a zoo in Sweden was refused because they could not ensure the animal would not be sold to another place.

Though the Copenhagen Zoo refused offers for what they believe were legitimate reasons, some last minute offers were also shrugged off.

Robert Krijuff, director of a wildlife park in the Netherlands also offered to take the animal, but was refused. In an interview with BBC News, Krijuff said,  "I can't believe it. We offered to save his life. Zoos need to change the way they do business.”

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Hoffman's Death Should Be A Wake-up Call For The Art Industry

At age 46, multi-dimensional and famously talented actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead, syringe in his arm, next to 50 bags of heroin.

Last Sunday, playwright and friend, David Bar Katz, found Hoffman’s body on the bathroom floor of his West Village apartment in New York City.

“I saw him last week, clean and sober, his old self,” Katz told The Washington Post. “I thought that chapter was over.”

Hoffman had an ongoing battle with drug addiction which shadowed his career and personal life. In a “60 Minutes” interview in 2005, the actor admitted to a drug addiction he developed after college. Putting himself through rehab, Hoffman was a reformed addict at 22 years of age.

Over 20 years later, Hoffman relapsed. The actor spent 10 days in a rehabilitation center in May of 2013 recovering from heroin use.

While a world of fans lament over Hoffman’s untimely death, maybe it is time for the art industry to rethink its role in the epidemic of drug abuse within its own community.

Countless art industry stars come to know death through drug abuse. To name a few in the last 10 years: Whitney Houston drowned after taking a mix of cocaine and over-the-counter drugs, Heath Ledger overdosed on a combination of prescription drugs and Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning.

The art industry, while sympathetic of these drug related deaths, is not actively addressing the problem. This suggests nothing can be done, that it is an unavoidable tragedy.

But think about the sports industry. The National Football League has a 35 page policy covering drug abuse and rehabilitation for its members.

The NFL has three stages of drug testing for league players. There are pre-employment, pre-season and by agreement drug testing. In the opening lines of the league's drug policy it is stated: “substance abuse can lead to on-the-field injuries, to alienation of the fans, to diminished job performance, and to personal hardship. The deaths of several NFL players have demonstrated the potentially tragic consequences of substance abuse.”

Here, the NFL implies that personal suffering will not be overlooked in the name of professional football. But does the passivity towards drug abuse in the art industry suggest that art trumps the importance of personal health?

Hoffman participated in nearly 90 productions between his film and theater career. Ben Brantley of the New York Times wrote, “Mr. Hoffman does terminal uncertainty better than practically anyone.” The talent Hoffman brought to the stage touched many lives.

But, we cannot forget Hoffman had a life of his own. With his partner of 15 years, Mimi O’ Donnell, Hoffman fathered three children: his son Conner and two daughters Tallulah and Willa. Conner, the eldest, is only ten years old.

The world lost an intriguing and important actor. But a family lost their father, a wife, her husband. No artist should give their life for the sake of art, and it is time the art industry started recognizing artists as humans instead of commodities.

NFL Legend Followed By Fans

An early weekend in February is host to the a truly all American holiday--the Superbowl.

While fans from Denver and Seattle are stocking up on face paint, jerseys and nachos, Superbowl XLVIII offers up an unlikely, third group of fans.

Though the Indianapolis Colts season ended in the second round of playoffs, fans from Indiana will support Denver Broncos’ quarterback, Peyton Manning, former Colts quarterback.

After being let go from the Colts due to a severe neck injury Manning said, “Nobody loves their job more than I do. But there is no other team I wanted to play for.”

During his time in Indianapolis, Manning created The Peyback Foundation, a group focused on aiding disadvantaged children gain important, educational opportunities. Manning and his wife Ashley also gave an undisclosed amount to a local hospital and introduced its new name, “Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent.”

Manning is also credited for re-inventing the image of the Indianapolis Colts. During his time on the team, Manning appeared in numerous ads for many big-name NFL sponsors. His honest smile and goofy demeanor won the hearts of the media, and revitalized football culture in Indiana.

Manning and his brother, Eli, have also made charitable projects a family affair. After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the brothers delivered gatorade, water, diapers and other crucial supplies to the victims in New Orleans.

“There will never be another Peyton Manning,” lamented Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsey, during the press conference announcing Manning’s departure. Both the owner and player expressed true sadness in the breaking of the partnership.

“This has not been easy for Jim,” said Manning on the decision.

The NFL community along with Indianapolis fans awaited the fate of a man who never seemed to quit. It seemed as though Manning may never play professional football again.

But on March 20, 2012 the football world rejoiced. Peyton Manning was back in the game, stage-Denver, Colorado. Though it was a joyous moment, many questioned Manning’s ability to play.

After his second, more serious surgery, a cervical fusion procedure, there were doubts that Manning would perform at his old level.

Those doubts were soon silenced.

In the 2012 NFL season with the Broncos, Manning led the team deep into the playoffs, only losing the 38-35 in double overtime to the Baltimore Ravens, who went on to win the Superbowl. Manning was awarded the “comeback player of the year” award,” and clutched the record for most touchdown passes in a season.

The 2013 NFL season started out just as hot as the year before. In the opening game of the season, Manning threw seven touchdown passes, a feat only five other NFL quarterbacks have achieved. That momentum has carried the Broncos through to the Superbowl.

Two seasons after saying goodbye, Indianapolis fans sit anxiously in their living rooms, surrounded by family and friends watching an old hero fight for the Superbowl title once more.

Continuing Change

Maggie Masse, of Bristol RI, uncovered a call for volunteer work  in a small, Nicaraguan village.

Masse and a group of 19 volunteers, with The Mustard Seeds Community Project, crossed US borders in order to aid two orphanages in the summer of 2013.

“It was so changing and unbelievable,” said Massie, a sophomore, Journalism student at Suffolk University. “It was the best week of my life.”

In her short 20 years, Masse has been on numerous volunteer projects. Involved with her local church, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, in Bristol, she has been involved with charity projects as well as Vacation Bible School for young children.

In the summer of 2009, Masse, along with younger sister Emily, traveled to West Virginia where they served in food and clothing drives.

“Since then, I knew I wanted to do [volunteering],” Masse said.

Though if you asked Masse about her most impactful trip, with a tear in her eye, she would tell you about Nicaragua.

“I’ve never been that happy,” Massie says of her Nicaragua trip. “I cry every time I talk about it.”

Masse and her peers set out with a mission: to help others, selflessly. But Masse said “they helped me so much more than I helped them.”

That said, the group did achieve their goal of servicing others.  For a week, her volunteer group worked to create better living conditions for the kids in two Nicaraguan orphanages.Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

A typical day began at 6:30am with a religious mass. Then followed breakfast. And for 8 hours, with only a short lunch break, the volunteers worked on rebuilding a community center for the children and their teachers.

The children were more than appreciative, and in showing their love, Masse was even “married” to 15-year-old Brian, with a balloon string.

She also recalls 3-year-old Manuel as “the sweetest boy” she had ever met.

The experience was not without sadness however. “A lot of these kids came from abusive families,” said Masse. Upon reflection she said it made her grateful for her parents.

When asked where her passion grew from, Masse mentions one important role model. When Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, died last December Masse was in shock.

“[His death] was really sad, because it was one less person doing that kind of work,” Masse said.

She said Mandela’s passion despite very serious oppression and discrimination gives her hope for the world. She said, “You have to keep going, even if you feel like you aren’t making a huge difference.”

Though she is interested in becoming a sports writer, Masse said Mandela’s death made her “even more inspired to help people.”

Upon graduating from Suffolk, Masse says she has plans to do volunteer work in Africa and Jamaica.

Masse believes the spirit of volunteering can touch the life of any person, and if you have the opportunity you should seize it.

“Just go out and do it. Life begins outside your comfort zone,” Massie concluded.