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Beastly posters vex vets


Flashermac

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When it comes to Thai politics, it might be a jungle out there, but there's no need to pull innocent animals into the fray.

 

That was the message at a seminar held by the Thai Veterinary Medical Association focusing on the use of animals by the For Heaven and Earth Party in posters promoting the group's "no vote" campaign.

 

[color:red]For Heaven and Earth, the political offshoot of the Santi Asoke Buddhist Sect and the People's Alliance for Democracy, has put up placards throughout the city featuring buffalo, monkeys, dogs and monitor lizards wearing suits, with the accompanying text reading "Don't let animals into parliament."[/color]

 

[color:red]Speakers at yesterday's seminar, "The Political Story of Animals", organised by the Thai Veterinary Medical Association at Dusit Zoo, took umbrage at the comparison.[/color]

 

[color:red]Nantarika Chansue, of Chulalongkorn University's faculty of veterinary science, said that while the ads feature pictures of fierce dogs and monitor lizards to connote aggression and greed in politicians, these animals were incapable of lying.[/color]

 

[color:red]The same could not be said of the mammals in parliament, Ms Nantarika added.[/color]

 

Equating slow-working politicians with tortoises was also off the mark, she said, as some of the species can swim fast.

 

Achariya Sailasutr, president of the Thai Veterinary Medical Association, said the campaign might mislead children on the nature of these animals.

 

However, she did concede that some similarities between the animals on the placards and their parliamentary counterparts were too strong to deny.

 

The eel comparison was spot on, she said, as it is a slippery creature and sometimes bites. Remembering these traits might teach people to remain cautious around politicians.

 

Ms Achariya said that the ideal outcome of the poster campaign would be for political parties to pay more attention to animal welfare issues.

 

Alongkorn Ma-hannop, the veterinarian for the Bureau of the Royal Household, said none of the parties contesting the election has stated a policy covering animal protection issues.

 

Whoever forms the next government, conservation of the environment and animals should be made a priority, especially as one of the country's icons is the elephant.

 

He said a law should be enacted to protect elephants as the illegal trade of the animal and ivory remains a threat to the species in the wild, he said.

 

The cost of young, live wild elephants ranges from 800,000 baht to one million baht each in Thailand, with the price sharply rising when they are smuggled overseas.

 

 

 

Bangkok Post

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