Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 4, 2008 5:16:33 PM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Elephant Bubble Plans Popped

Posted Mar 15, 08 6:46 PM CDT in US,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – A California science center has ditched plans to surround an elephant with a giant soap bubble, reports the LA Times, after a thousand outraged emailers protested the plan and zoo professionals blasted it as a "Vegas-style sideshow."  A "bubble artist" had planned to break a world record by blowing a bubble with a 39-year-old Asian elephant named Tai in it.

Two years ago the same elephant was painted to match wallpaper for a British artist's installation to illustrate "elephant in the room." LA's head of animal services didn't like that stunt, and he didn't like the bubble, either, calling it "the worst sort of animal cruelty." The center denied the cruelty charge, but said they were uninviting the elephant out of worries that protesters might spoil the show. "Bubblefest" will go ahead anyway, with "billions of bubbles." No word if anything will be in them.

Source Los Angeles Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • PETA Video Shows W.Va. Workers Abusing Turkeys

    Nov 19, 08 2:00 PM CST
    PETA Video Shows W.Va. Workers Abusing Turkeys Just ahead of Thanksgiving, workers at a West Virginia farm are shown stomping turkeys and twisting their necks to kill them in an undercover video released by PETA, AP reports. The employee who filmed the stomach-turning scenes says the birds are kept in overcrowded barns and that employees brag about their abuses. More »

  • Animal Rights Lover Goes for the Throat

    Oct 26, 08 4:23 PM CDT
    Animal Rights Lover Goes for the Throat The Humane Society has turned into an aggressive political player with a mainstream message, the New York Times reports. The group's head, Wayne Pacelle, just shut down a $100 million slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif., and is pushing for a ballot measure that would require a certain amount of room for farm animals. But he's also made concessions in deals with other states.
    More »

  • Farm Boy Mulls What's Good for Goose, Gander

    Jul 31, 08 9:21 AM CDT
    Farm Boy Mulls What's Good for Goose, Gander Californians go to the polls in November with a high-profile ballot initiative to decide: whether to ban factory farms from raising livestock in small cages. For Nicholas D. Kristof, it's an apt moment to consider our transforming attitudes toward animal welfare. The Oregon farm boy turned New York Times columnist is a carnivore, but one who recognizes that "every hamburger patty has a back story." More »

  • Man Eats Man's Best Friend

    Mar 24, 08 1:10 PM CDT
    Man Eats Man's Best Friend While you're busy worrying about human rights in China, author and journalist Ted Kerasote argues, add animal rights to the list. After a trip to a ski camp in China where he was befriended by a "dead ringer for Lassie," he was appalled to find his canine pal served as the main dish at a feast in his honor. More »

  • NIH Won't Breed Chimps for Research

    May 25, 07 6:21 AM CDT
    NIH Won't Breed Chimps for Research The National Institutes of Health will stop breeding chimpanzees for use in medical testing, the agency announced yesterday. The practice is being abandoned for financial reasons, NIH says; because chimpanzees live upwards of 50 years in captivity, their lifelong upkeep costs $500,000. More »

An elephant wanders in Tembe Elephant Park in the Northern KwaZulu Natal province in Jan 2007.   (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)
An outcry from the public and zoo professionals has caused a California science center to cancel plans to surround an elephant with a giant soap bubble.   ((c) malfet_)
A Laotian mahout rides his elephant back to camp following an early morning bath at the second annual Elephant Festival in Paklay, Laos, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008.   (AP Photo/David Longstreath)
An elephant performs with its mahout, partly seen, before a show at the 47th annual Elephant Roundup in Surin province, northeastern Thailand, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007.   (AP Photo/Matthew Streib)
An Asian elephant at the Oklahoma City Zoo blows dirt over her back following a swim at the zoo in Oklahoma City, Saturday, July 21, 2007. (AP Photo)   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Banksy Elephant   (rokkergurl13 (YouTube))

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »
Our editors also recommend:

Tags

art • science • animal cruelty • animal rights • elephant


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »