Dark and Light VII

Bad news: In Belize, Cherie and Vince Rose, who moved to the Central American country in 2004 to build the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary, a 36-acre facility for two endangered species of crocodiles, were lucky that they were away rescuing crocodiles this week. Mayan villagers from ten miles away descended on their property and burnt it to the ground, killing scores of animals.

They did so because a local 'psychic', playing on their superstitions, informed them that the couple had fed two missing children to the crocodiles. Had the couple been home, they would have been chopped up and fed to the crocodiles, as the police were told by the villagers themselves. Fortunately their two dogs survived and even the couple isn't sure how they'll be able to, they have vowed to stay in Belize and start all over.

That's dedication. It's 2010 people. Have we not evolved enough to not take the word of some charlatan and inflict countless amounts of suffering based on his/her say so? I am all for quaint customs and beliefs when it doesn't involve injuring and killing animals.

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Good news: Animal activists hailed a conviction this week as a small victory over animal cruelty stating that Puerto Rico is slowly recognizing animals' rights and prosecuting cruelty cases. A man was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for dragging a stubborn horse alongside his truck, becoming the first person convicted under an animal protection law that was enacted in a case where animal control agents from a small, private firm were throwing stray dogs and cats from a bridge.

The horse has been adopted by a horse rescue group in northwestern Puerto Rico and has recovered from his injuries.

There is nothing that makes me more livid and more depressed than the cruelty people are able to inflict on animals and nothing that's more uplifting than realizing that people go to great lengths of kindness as well.