I uploaded the PNE videoclips (all are in Quicktime):
(Note: no animals or friends were harmed in the making of these videos)*
duck race
pig race
May on "The Revolution"
PNE photos
Read the original post.
*I should mention here that I've always felt a certain ambivalence towards any kind of animal performance, whether it's a dolphin show or horse race. While it would be an incredible stretch to describe the pig and duck races as a commercially-driven event, at the other end of the spectrum I have strong feelings against the capturing of wild animals for entertainment or amusement – by this I mean elephants and tigers and orcas and such. I went with my friend Berit and her son to SeaWorld in San Diego a couple of years ago when they were visiting from Hamburg, and I experienced an immense sadness watching the "Shamu Show." All the other animals at Seaworld had their own names, except for the orcas, who were all referred to as "Shamu" or "Baby Shamu." Also, the Vancouver Aquarium had just shipped their one orca, Bjossa, to SeaWorld earlier that month after 20 years residence, and she died about six months later. All I could think of during the show was 'Where was Bjossa?' and 'How does these orcas feel about living in a pool and doing tricks?' Having said that, I even felt some pangs watching the PNE "superdogs" and later found myself wondering about the human tendency to try to dominate and manipulate the natural world through breeding, domestication, and conditioning. Is selfishness inherently characteristic to humans, or would the other animals whip and cajole us into submission, too, if they had the chance?
