Today, all Park citizens mourn the loss of the Endeka Elephant Band member.
Gunnar Rotte tweets, then takes his case to the Archons
Gunnar Rotte has never backed away from a fight.
Indeed, he rose to prominence almost two years ago, when he published a controversial editorial in The Rodent Commoner comparing the plight of his own species to that of The Park’s striped and spotted citizens.
Now, the beleaguered journalist and part-time counsellor at The Park’s Extinction Anxiety Clinic is doubling down on his mission to make all Park citizens understand the real life challenges of Rodents and, in particular, Rats.
After taking to Twitter yesterday to react to the announcement that this year’s Park ART Walk will celebrate the work of our striped and spotted citizens and to complain that no Park event honours Rodents, Rotte has begun a campaign to pressure the Archons into establishing just such an event.
Calling for an annual , “Rotter Day,” Rotte says he plans to march in front of the law courts and all government buildings until the Archons and the Department of Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations agree to his plan.
And he just might be successful.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he got it done,” says Rosbritt Piggsvin, President of Rodents at Risk, a Park charity that aids The Park’s at-risk Rodent community.
“Gunnar is nothing if not persistent,” says Piggsvin, who has known Rotte since his birth.
“He gnaws at things and doesn’t let them go. And on this particular subject, I can tell you, he won’t rest until all Park Animals understand and acknowledge the pain and suffering of Rats and many other Rodents.”
Still, many say it will be an uphill battle for Rotte to get the Archons to agree to add an event to The Park’s calendar so late in their term.
“Yes, he may have to march in the snow, but I’ll bet he’s already put together a plan to confront the new Archons on the day of their swearing-in,” says Piggsvin.
Tinamou nest found outside Park; eggs replaced with Bailey’s basketball
BREAKING NEWS
Park Police announced this morning that they have recovered the nest of Alvin Tinamou and his mate Adela.
Szabina Héja, head of the Airborne Investigative Unit (AIU), made the announcement at a press conference this morning.
“Yesterday afternoon, our team was directed to a Tree outside The Park. Upon investigation, we discovered and later took possession of a nest with a basketball inside it. After extensive testing at our laboratory, we have determined that the nest is that of Alvin Tinamou. Our tests also revealed that the basketball is the same one lent to The Park Museum by Mammalian Daily balls columnist Bailey. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any evidence of the Tinamou eggs. Our Unit continues to search for the eggshells and we are optimistic that we will be successful,” Héja said.
Experts say, however, that since the nest was stolen in mid-June, there is little hope of recovering the eggshells.
“Those chicks would have hatched by early July at the latest,” says Dr. Simon Crow, head of Avian Medicine at the University of West Terrier. “They would, physiologically, almost be adults by now. And the shells surely would have been used for other purposes.”
The AIU head did not comment on the state of the basketball, nor did she give reporters any idea of when the ball might be released to its rightful owner. But she did confirm that both the Interspecial Investigations Unit (IIU) and the Specist and Hate Crimes Unit (SHCU) have been brought in to help in the search for the perpetrator of the crime.
Park ART Walk 2016 partners with EQUALSS charity to celebrate the work of the striped and spotted
The organizers of the 2016 Park ART Walk (PAW) announced today that they have partnered with Holstein Fashion’s charity EQUALSS to celebrate the artistic accomplishments of The Park’s striped and spotted population.
In a joint statement released this morning, Park ART Walk organizers, EQUALSS, The Department of Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations, the Lemming Lemur Lion and Lynx Credit Bank, and the Founding Families Financial Corporation confirmed the theme of this historic 10th annual Park ART Walk:
“We are extremely pleased that, though our work together, the 2016 Park ART Walk will be able to bring into focus the creative output of our striped and spotted population. The Park is extremely proud of our dynamic striped and spotted citizens and we want to shine a light on the ways in which they have enriched the lives of all Park residents. These are Animals who have not yet reached true equality in The Park, yet they are able to contribute greatly to their families, to their community, and to the creative arts. They are truly an inspiration to us all.”
Underwritten in part by Holstein Fashion, the Park-wide exhibition is entitled, “Patterns in Life and Art.”
This is the fifth time in its history that the Park ART Walk has had a distinct theme. Last year, PAW honoured The Park’s endangered species in “Against All Odds.” In 2014, our refugees were honoured in “From Fear to Freedom.” In 2013, it was our autochthonous artists who were highlighted in the exhibition, “From the Ground Up.” In 2012, thanks to a one-time gift from The Archons’ Initiative Fund, the event showcased art as it related to the theme, “INtegration through ART.”
The Park ART Walk is a one-day, juried art exhibition that showcases the artistic expression of Park residents. The 9th annual Park ART Walk will take place on Saturday, August 20, 2016 between the hours of 10:00 am and 7:00 pm. Showings will take place at participating art galleries, shops, theatres and cinemas. This year’s jury will include curators from The Ewe and Moo Gallery, the Park Museum of Contemporary Art and the Tortoiseshell Gallery.
Cackling Goose coalition asks: Would we be safer without sod?
The coalition of groups that has conducted regular meetings at the Cackling Goose Tavern has sent a message to the citizens and residents of The Park.
Inside a carefully worded missive published in all Park media today, the coalition poses the question: Would we be safer without sod?
The group, whose members include representatives of citizen aid and action associations, environmental groups, other alliances and federations, and some of The Park’s technology companies, has been working since the end of July to develop a proposal for The Park’s 2017 budget.
Today they are calling on the Department of Well-Being and Safety (DWBS) and the Department of Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations to join them in their effort to keep Park residents safe from Human invasion.
The DWBS, who came under fire recently for issuing a safety alert that some deemed too late to save Park Animals, has promised to look into the coalition’s proposal to substitute grass seed for The Park’s sod.
“We believe that Humans, who have a very short attention span, would be less likely to see The Park as a vacation option if they had to wait for the grass to grow,” the coalition says in its statement.
While that might prove true and could result in fewer Humans endangering Park Animals, some warn that there is a downside to this way of thinking.
“We continue to walk a fine line when it comes to Humans and tourism. On the one hand, we want to maintain The Park for ourselves, but on the other, we have to admit that we are far too small to be self-sustaining. We rely on the funds that come from Humans who buy our products and services and it does us no good to pretend that we don’t,” says Wellington Whistlepig, president of the Park Association of Shops and Services (PASS).
The coalition is seeking the input of resident Park Animals before it presents its proposal to Park Finance Office head Valentina Abeja. Abeja announced last month that she would be presenting her 2017 budget on August 17.
Millicent Hayberry “seriously considering” POPS bid : rumour
BREAKING NEWS
Renowned actress Millicent Hayberry is “seriously considering” running for 2017 Park Official Prognosticator of Spring (POPS), according to the gossip site headsNtales.
In a post dated today, the site’s co-founder Hortencia Guacamayo said Hayberry is still “conferring with those in her inner circles, both personal and professional, and likely will announce her decision in October.”
Best known for her portrayal of the late author Imogen Aardeekhoorn in both the stage and screen productions of Mixed Nuts, the beloved actress currently can be found onstage at the Burrow Theatre starring in Godwit: A Mystery.
If Hayberry does decide to take a run for the office, it will not be the first time that a Chipmunk has made the attempt. In 2012, Lorenzo Michele Chipmunk thew his hat in the ring and although he did not win, many credited him and Zachariah Skunk, who ran in 2011, with broadening the field and making the list of candidates more representative of The Park’s population.
Hayberry still has a lot of time to make her final decision. Park Animals have until November 5, 2016 to put their names forward as candidates for POPS.
July, July: What a month in The Park!
- Where’s the comma? Ancient Open-Air Theatre rebrands itself for a new era
- Harmonious Humphrey and Hannah one year on: what have we learned?
- Security workers threaten bark-to-rule action over right to bite policy
- Park Museum to present Holstein Fashion’s EDAM Collection
- Literacy rates lowest in Park’s feral communities: study
- ZEAL to perform at Stereotype Sunday
- Is” long haul” government the way of the future? New political group says yes
- And then there were ten: Endeka Elephant Band member murdered on trip home to visit family
- Park ART Walk to honour bass player Zuberi Tembo with new logo
- Flyball Finals take on new significance
- Tab Tricolore establishes new annual event: The Feral Roots Festival
- Draft Summit update: farmers demand end to Human Direct Investment in Park
- GoUnderground Park’s most hospitable shop: survey
- Body of Zuberi Tembo interred in Africa; memorial service to be held in Park
- Mark your calendars: August 17 is budget day in The Park
- Art museum confirms theft of iconic painting, “Swine with Ewe”
- Holstein Fashion honours Zuberi Tembo
- Coalition calls emergency meeting at Cackling Goose to discuss budget
- Did DWBS safety alert come too late for some?
- EDAM statistics show how economy affects Animals’ view of domestication
- Park Museum’s EDAM Gala sells out
Park Museum’s EDAM Gala sells out
If you were thinking of buying a ticket to tonight’s gala celebration of Holstein Fashion’s EDAM Collection, The Park Museum has some bad news for you: the event has sold out.
The Board of Governors made the announcement on the museum’s web site yesterday. But if you still have your heart set on attending, you have one last chance to obtain a ticket: according to the web announcement, any returned tickets will be sold at the museum’s entrance at 6:00 p.m. The event begins at 8:00 p.m.
Read the full announcement here.
EDAM statistics show how economy affects Animals’ view of domestication
It’s been almost a month since Enforced Domestication Awareness Month (EDAM) wrapped up and the statistics are now in.
In a short statement that accompanied their release this morning, the Departments of Well-Being and Safety and Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations expressed their “heartfelt gratitude to all who participated in the event, and especially to those who worked tirelessly to make it the most comprehensive and inclusive EDAM so far.”
According to the statistics, attendance at the event was up by twenty-seven per cent, with attendee satisfaction at an all-time high.
But there is one statistic that is alarming: thirty-eight per cent of Animals who answered the exit survey said they thought domestication wasn’t always a bad thing. That number is up significantly from last year’s twenty-two per cent and experts believe it reflects our economic struggles.
“Animals are tired,” says Dr. Gudrun L. Gibbon, a Park psychotherapist who is also on staff at The Park’s Extinction Anxiety Clinic. “I think we underestimate the work that is involved in zoocracy and the toll that looking after ourselves takes.”
Dr. Gibbon says it’s “only natural” that the fantasy of domestication would, from time to time, appeal to Park Animals.
“They have a fairytale view of the domestic world, replete with an abundance of food, cozy beds, and non-stop playtime. That’s the view that Humans have given us but it isn’t the reality,” she says.
Despite domesticity’s occasional appeal, Dr. Gibbon doesn’t believe Park Animals would either seek it out or allow themselves to be domesticated.
“Park Animals are smarter than that. I have faith in Park Animals,” she says.
Did DWBS Summer safety alert come too late for some?
Beware of small Humans: DWBS warning came too late for some
The Department of Well-Being and Safety (DWBS) has come under heavy criticism for issuing its Summer security alert too late.
Yesterday’s alert, which is only the second Summer alert ever issued, warned Park Animals to be vigilant around Humans vacationing in The Park.
According to the DWBS communiqué, Park Animals should deal with Humans in a “professional” manner, refrain from befriending Human children, refuse all invitations to enter vehicles, and refuse any and all “suspicious” invitations and gifts.
“Humans tend to get sentimental and to make emotional attachments during their time off work and that makes them more likely to try to take Park Animals home with them,” the DWBS warned.
The alert is comprehensive. But critics say the delay in issuing it has cost some Animals their security and perhaps, in some cases, their lives.
“This alert should have been issued a month ago, at least. Six weeks ago would have been perfect,” says Delma Falter of The Park’s Missing Animals Registry.
Falter says that this Summer, she’s had the “very sad task” of adding names to the Registry.
“It’s a difficult thing to do. I deal with families reporting their friends, their mates, their young, missing. We try to give them hope, but the truth is many of them will never be found. And this Summer, the numbers have grown to the point where I would call it a crisis,” she said.
Other frontline workers agree.
Arrosa Katu of the Feral Cat Helpline says she and other volunteers have seen a record number of calls this year.
“I would say roughly four hundred per cent more, and during many of those calls, I’ve had to tell families to call the Missing Animals Registry,” she says.
Katu and Falter say much of this could have been avoided.
“The DWBS made a big mistake in waiting so long to issue the alert. Many of us would call it a fatal error,” says Falter.
Animals who do experience problems with Humans are encouraged to report any incidents immediately to one of the following DWBS hotlines:
Feral Cat Helpline: 1-899-33725228
Assaulted Animals Helpline: 1-899-27728583
Missing Animals Registry: 1-899-64774642
Missing Family Members Report: 1-899-32645966
Youth line (Kittens, Puppies, Cubs, etc.): 1-899-96884546
Exotic Animals Helpline: 1-899-3968427
