Category - Issue 180: May 2021

We think of silk as something really soft, yet scientists say it could be used to screw bones together. SHAMEEN IDICULLA reports.

Silk does not just make beautiful clothes. Experiments have proven that it can also help fix broken bones. This discovery could change the way doctors do their work.

Normally, surgeons use metal plates and screws to hold together bone fragments till a fracture heals. This has many disadvantages. For one, metal plates are hard and stiff, which can damage the much-softer bones. They can also cause infections and delay healing sometimes. And, once the bones are joined back together, doctors often have to perform a second surgery to remove these metal devices from the human body.

Medical engineers have found that silk protein can be folded to produce a tough material that can replace metal.

Silk may be better

“Silk materials are extremely robust,” says Dr David Kaplan, who heads one of the teams. While it is tough enough to hold bone pieces together, it is also lighter and more flexible than metal. Therefore, there is less chance of it causing damage to bones.

Doctors can also track better how the injury is healing. Metal plates and screws are visible on x-rays and tend to block the doctor from seeing certain sections of the fracture. Silk, on the other hand, is not picked up on x-rays, and will thus give the doctor a clearer view.

Another advantage is that silk can dissolve over time without harming the body. Thus, silk screws and plates will slowly disappear on their own once their jobs are done, without doctors having to perform a second surgery to remove them.

Dr Kaplan adds that different medicines can also be integrated into these silk devices so as to prevent infection and aid in the regrowth of bones.

Research continues

To test their theory out, the scientists created 28 special screws from silk fibres and fixed them on the hind legs of six rats. The screws stayed for four to eight weeks, which was long enough time for bones to mend. Afterward, the silk screws began to dissolve. Just as the scientists hoped they would.  The next step would be to test the screws out on larger animals and then on humans.

“The future is very exciting,” says Dr Kaplan. “We envision a whole set of orthopaedic devices for repair based on this — from plates and screws to almost any kind of device you can think of where you don’t want hardware left in the body.”

VOCAB BUILDER

Disadvantages (say ‘dis-ad-van-te-jes’; noun) = conditions that cause problems.

orthopaedic (say ‘or-tho-pe-dik”; adjective) = a branch of medicine dealing with bones or muscles.

Activity

Jumbled words

Put the letters in the right order to figure out the real words. Hint: You can find them all in the article.

1. FIUUTABLE

2. RONBEK

3. MAADEG

4. ELMCAID

5. APESIPRAD

6. SHAMUN

7. TUBSOR

8. RAINTEC

Answers

SUMI THOMAS reports on how a dying village in Uganda has been given new life.

During a civil war in the 1980s, a remote little village called Okere Mom-Kok was almost completely destroyed. The villagers who remained had to travel long distances to buy food and other supplies. The children’s school was far away. There were no hospitals or clinics nearby either.

Things are different now. From the front door of his house in that village, Ojok Okello watches children play and learn at a kindergarten. There is much hustle and bustle in the market and other public spaces in Okere Mom-Kok. A newly-revived kickboxing team puts up shows for the community. In the evening, the place is alive with people gathering to watch football on a big screen and to enjoy other social activities.

These changes are mainly the result of Mr Okello’s ambitious projects in the village. At first, he paid for the projects with his own money. “I think what I’m doing here is radical,” he told The Guardian.

Amina Yasin is an expert in city planning. She observes that Okere is unique and successful because it is intentionally being developed with the whole community in mind.

Mr Okello had left the village as a baby when his father was killed in the civil war. Years later, when he was in his 20s, he returned to visit his relatives. He was deeply troubled by the helplessness and poverty he saw.

Some years later, in 2018, he visited the village again. He asked the locals about their problems and what they needed. Then, he started working on projects to help the villagers meet their needs. He collectively calls the projects “Okere City”.

Education for all

One of Mr Okello’s first projects was a kindergarten. Mr Okello used his savings to build a small kindergarten on a plot of land that his relatives offered.

Parents pay half of the school fees in cash. They pay the remaining fees in maize, sugar, beans, and other farm produce. Foreign donors sponsor some of the children’s schooling.

Recently, Mr Okello also built a school. Lessons started at Okere City Primary School in April 2021 with five pupils and two teachers. They formed the Primary 4 class as directed by their government.

The adults too wanted to learn to read and write. So, Mr Okello started programmes for adults where they learn life skills and technical skills. Mr Okello and the community feel that education is the most important weapon in the fight against poverty.

Better healthcare

Three people died of malaria in just three months in Okere Mom-Kok. This prompted Mr Okello to open a clinic. This too was run with the whole community in mind. Residents could pay their medical bills in instalments. Besides treating common illnesses, the clinic also provides counselling and health education, just like clinics in the cities.

Power of shea butter

Isaac Newton discovered gravity when he observed an apple fall from its tree. Mr Okello’s next inspiration came while he was seated under a shea tree. The villagers had told him that they needed a way to make money.

“I thought about [Marvel’s] Wakanda and Black Panther — they had vibranium. This shea tree could be our vibranium,” Mr Okello told The Guardian. Together with the villagers, he experimented with processing shea nuts and turning them into butter for cooking and cosmetics.

The whole village now smells of shea butter. And, Okere Shea Butter is distributed to shops in 10 Ugandan cities. This project has also been good for the endangered shea trees. Now, they are protected, regrown, and conserved.

Growing trust

It took time for the people of Okere Mom-Kok to believe in Mr Okello. They had looked on him as a foreigner at first. Yet, Mr Okello kept talking to them and taking their feedback. They saw how he helped them get what they needed. He now has their trust and support.

Mr Okello continues to engage the residents in transforming their village. “I want us to be responsible for shaping the destiny and the future of the project,” he said.

VOCAB BUILDER

instalments (say “in-stal-mentz”; noun) = payment in parts, spread over a period of time.

borehole (say “bor-hoel”; noun) = a deep and narrow hole made in the ground to get water or oil.

Email letters@whatsup.sg or write through our website, www.share.whatsup.sg.

Rewilding is a double-edged sword

From: DaoZhen, Pri 6, Telok Kurau Primary

I read the article on rewilding in the February 2021 issue of What’s Up, and I agree that rewilding, like many things in life, is a double-edged sword. Rewilding has significant potential to increase biodiversity and create self-sustainable environments. Rewilding aims to do this by reintroducing lost animal species to natural environments. The results of rewilding can only be satisfactory if you reintroduce into the wild the correct number of the certain species. One example of this would be the case of Yellowstone National Park. Before the wolves were reintroduced, the drastic increase of the number of elks and coyotes also proved to create big problems. Too many or too few of a species will both pose a danger to the existing environment.

However, reintroducing species has its dangers. For example, animals transported from other countries might have diseases, which if released into the wild, would have terrible consequences. Animals which are bred by humans from young might also not have the ability to survive in the wild on their own. In addition, during the period of the species’ absence, the environment might have changed to make up for the species’ absence. If the species is reintroduced after that happens, the reintroduction may have a negative impact.

I think rewilding must be done with extreme care, lest it makes matters worse. In my opinion, we humans should not take unnecessary risks by introducing into environments species which the environments have not been exposed to before, just because we think it would help make things better. If we do this, we might create a new invasive species.

On the contrary, if everything is done perfectly, an entire ecosystem could be saved. In conclusion, rewilding is an amazing thing. But it must be done with extreme caution to prevent disastrous results. Rewilding should be done with proper studies and research, with the help or advice from experts.

If I had superpowers

From: Zoell, Pri 5, Qihua Primary

If I had superpowers, I would rewind the clock and go back to year 2019. That was the year when COVID-19 struck many countries and it made 2020 a year that everyone around the world could not forget. COVID-19 is the one of the scariest diseases. It is more infectious than SARS. It kills and causes many people to be sick. Worst of all, it separates many families.

I used to be a daily commuter, travelling from Johor Bahru to Singapore for school. Due to COVID-19, I could not attend school physically for a period of time and had to go through live-recorded lessons from where I stayed. However, I eventually made the choice to stay in Singapore so that my learning would not be affected too much. As a result, I have to be painfully separated from my family for more than 300 days and counting. During this period, when we cannot see each other in person, we can only resort to video calls.

Therefore, if I had superpowers, I would turn back time to stop the further spreading of this disease around the world. I wish we could go back to the past when everything was normal and fine. Most importantly, I wish I could be with my family just like old times.

What’s Up replies: Zoell, one year is a very long time to be away from your family. Since none of us can turn the clock back, let’s hope time flies! Do write to us again to share the good news when you are reunited with your family.

Worried about relatives in Myanmar

From: La Wun, Pri 6, Changkat Primary

I read the article “People of Myanmar want the army to give their country back” (March 2021). And honestly, I felt enraged.

I was born in Myanmar and I lived there until I was one year old. We moved to Singapore since my father worked as an engineer here, and my mother decided that it was best for my whole family to live here for our education. I am very grateful that I do not live in Myanmar, especially with everything that is happening at the moment.

I am utterly worried for the rest of my family who live in Myanmar — my cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Every day, I fear for their lives and hope that they are okay. It is also a bit hard to contact them because of the internet connection issues. But, I try my best to contact them every day.The fact that the military is also injuring and killing people, including children, really upsets me. The children did nothing wrong! But, at the same time, I am proud of the people protesting. I hope that the military will back down and everything in Myanmar will be back to normal soon.

What’s Up replies: La Wun, we are so glad that you and your immediate family are safe in Singapore. What is happening in Myanmar is indeed very worrying. Many of us here feel very sad about the violence there. We join you in hoping that peace and harmony will return soon.

We did it together!

From: Vijayan,  Pri 6, Woodlands Ring Primary

Don’t be shy. Share your ideas!

From: Xin En, Pri 5, Punggol Primary

For people who think that they cannot contribute to society because of their status or living environment, they should feel that they can after reading the article “Humble teacher shares his big prize with others” (March 2021).

It is inspiring to know that Mr Ranjitsinh Disale, a primary school teacher teaching in one of India’s rural villages, has come up with electronic learning resources to help his students learn better. These resources not only help his students, but also students from all over India. This is a great inspiration for people of all ages.

Everyone plays a part in making the world a better place. For those who want to contribute to society but are afraid to do so, it would be great to tell them that they should bravely share their ideas. They need not be affected by what others say. The world is so advanced now because of the millions of ideas that people shared courageously.

Just be brave and share your ideas. After all, you never know if your idea could impact the whole world.

More recess time, please

From: Peiyao, Pri 6, Nan Chiau Primary

Recess is the time of the day that most students really look forward to. It is a time when students can replenish their energy and relax. But, do students have enough time to even finish a meal during recess?

According to experts, eating too fast on a regular basis is unhealthy for the body. However, school recess is only 25 mins long. Students have to queue for food, wash their hands, and return their plates. All these activities would take at least 10 mins. Students are also advised to go to the toilet and refill their bottles during recess so as to minimise movement during classes. That will take up another 5 mins. Along with measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, students also have to wipe down tables during recess.

Due to the lack of time, students now have no choice but to gobble down their food as fast as they can. Doing so can lead to some health issues. What can we do to solve this problem then? End school at a later time so that students can have a longer recess? It will take time to implement this. But, if it is the only way for students to be able to eat their meals properly, then why not?

Climate change is a big deal

From: Saki, Pri 6, Haig Girls’

Some people may think that climate change is not much of a big deal and that our generation would not be affected by it. At first, I also felt the same way. I had thought that since I was just a child, even if I tried to make a change, it would not mean much. But, as I grew older, I started to understand how grave the situation of climate change was.

Climate change is slowly but surely, killing our Earth. This is the only planet we can live on and yet, some of our actions are harming the Earth. If we all work together and do our part, we can save the environment. I realised that I should never underestimate the power of one. We can just do a few simple actions such as turning off the light when we are not using it or taking shorter showers. If everyone does so, it would make a great difference.

I think that talking about conservation is easy but taking the first step requires much more. I think that it would be even better if “resource defence” is one of Singapore’s pillars of Total Defence. It would raise more awareness on the importance of saving the environment and our Earth. After all, this is our only Earth.

VOCAB BUILDER

commuter (say “ko-miu-ter”; noun) = someone who regularly travels between home and school or work.

underestimate (say “an-der es-ti-mayt”; verb) = to think that something is less than it really is.

double-edged (say “da-bel ej’d”; adjective) = having two possible outcomes, one negative and one positive.

The Olympics brings together the best athletes on earth. OMAR CHAUDHURI asks what lessons we can gather from them.

“I was preparing for it for two years. After the competition, I felt huge satisfaction because the work paid off. I remember millions of messages and emails that I got that day. It was a great experience, and the ceremony, when I got the medal — nothing is like that.”

Danka Bartekova said these words, speaking to the Olympic.org website. She won a bronze medal in a little-known event called “skeet shooting” at the London 2012 Games. Even though she is not famous because of her achievement, she is very proud of how she got there.

This is because Bartekova knows it is not easy being an Olympian. There are many things we can learn from athletes like her. Even though their success is at one of the biggest events in the world, we can take inspiration from their attitude. You can even apply it to some of the things you do, like taking an exam, or singing in a concert.

Lesson 1: Hard work is necessary

The athlete who has won the most Olympic medals in history is Michael Phelps. Clearly, this does not happen overnight. Phelps’ training programme is famous for how difficult it is. At his peak, Phelps swam 80,000 metres per week. In total, he would train for around six hours per day, six days per week. He uses underwater headphones so he doesn’t get bored and to remain focused.

Phelps can also eat more than most of us. Most men will eat around 2,500 calories per day. When training, Phelps eats up to 12,000 calories! This is because he needs lots of energy to keep up with all that swimming.

Phelps knows that while talent is important, all his competitors will be training hard to catch up with him. Just as he wants to be the best swimmer he can be, you might want to be the best actor, dancer or writer. This will always require hard work.

Lesson 2: Sacrifice is hard

Winning an Olympic medal is a fantastic feeling, but it also requires some hardship. Athletes need to train for long hours and are often away from their families.

For example, the British long-distance runner Mo Farah trains in Kenya, which means he does not see his young children for months. In 2014, he told reporters, “My kids have grown so much in the last few months. In the back of my head, I’m thinking, ‘They might not recognise you’. I wish I could just sit in my house and do stuff with them, but I wouldn’t have achieved what I have. I guess it takes sacrifice to be a champion.”

Farah’s sacrifices have been worth it. He won two gold medals at the London 2012 Games and is considered to be one of the greatest long-distance runners in history. Although we rarely need to make such painful sacrifices, the ones we do make can be helpful. You may have, at some time, needed to stay at home to study for an exam, rather than seeing friends, for example.

Lesson 3: Listen to good advice

“Following good advice has been crucial to my success,” Chris Hoy told the Mail Online in 2010. “There will always be people with a negative attitude saying, ‘He’ll never make it’. It is hugely important to listen to people with experience, but it can be detrimental to listen to those who don’t believe in you like you believe in yourself.”

Hoy clearly avoided bad advice throughout his career. No cyclist has won more medals than Hoy. Even though he was very talented, he recognised that there were people with more experience than himself. These people could tell him stories of how they handled different situations. Hoy could learn from these stories, and maybe even avoid the mistakes these people made.

Like Hoy, we also need to be careful to choose whom we listen to. We need to decide if the person is trying to help us or not.

Lesson 4: Take advantage of luck

For all the hard work an athlete puts in, he or she always needs a bit of luck. In 2008, Singapore’s Feng Tianwei needed to beat South Korea’s Park Miyoung to take her country to the women’s team table tennis final. At 7-7 in the fourth game, Park had a fantastic opportunity to win the point. If she did, she would put Feng under a lot of pressure. However, she missed a simple smash. A few minutes later, Feng reached the 11 points she needed to win the match.

On most days, Park would have won that point, no matter what Feng did. However, Feng got a bit of luck. As a result, Singapore were soon guaranteed of their first Olympic medal in 48 years. We all know when we’ve gotten some good luck — the key is making sure we take advantage of it.

At first glance, Olympians seem nothing like you or me. However, when we look closer, we can see that their approach to winning medals can teach us many lessons about how we can approach our own day-to-day lives.

VOCAB BUILDER

crucial (say “kru-shel”; adjective) = extremely important.

detrimental (say “det-ri-men-tul”; adjective) = causing damage; making things worse.

An innovative chef thinks edible grains in the sea could be good for both humans and our planet. SHEERE NG reports.

Chef Angel Leon does not go to the market to buy seafood for his Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain. Instead, he makes cheese from sea snails and butter from planktons, both of which he harvests from the sea.Mr Leon does not like to serve seafood that people already know. He is famous for using ingredients that his customers have never tasted before. His latest discovery, however, may be more than a novelty.

The tiny, dark-coloured grains that he found at the base of an eelgrass — a plant that grows in shallow seawater — could be a way to feed humans without depleting precious resources.

Mr Leon read up on the plant and found that the grains had actually been the diet of an indigenous people in Mexico. He then sent the grains for a lab test. It showed that they were good for the heart and more nutritious than rice.

This was very good news because eelgrass does not need land and freshwater to grow — the two scarce resources required for most farming.

Good for Earth

Growing food plants and farming animals use up lots of freshwater. The demand for freshwater keeps growing. Yet, only one percent of all water on Earth is freshwater. Eelgrass, on the other hand, grows in seawater and our planet has plenty of that.

This also means that eelgrass does not take up land. It can grow in coastal waters around the world. This frees up precious land for other uses. More importantly, growing a lot of eelgrass for food will not harm Earth.

In contrast, farming to produce more and more food has affected the natural balance of biodiversity. To produce more fruits and vegetables, many farmers use pesticides and fertilisers that end up polluting rivers and ruining the soil. We catch fishes before they can reproduce themselves, causing many species to face extinction. Raising more cattle for beef adds to global warming because each cow burps and farts up to 120kg of greenhouse gas a year!

Growing eelgrass would cause none of these problems. It may even help to reverse them. Seagrass meadows are known to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen faster than rainforests do. This means that if eelgrass is grown for food, it will slow global warming at the same time.

Eelgrass is also home to small fishes such as the seahorse. Eelgrass growing close together help to slow down the movement of water and that provides a safe shelter for these little creatures. It is also food for animals like dugongs and green turtles.

Scientists knew about these benefits long ago, but few knew that eelgrass contains edible grains. Mr Leon’s discovery has helped to create more interest in this plant and its importance to the environment.

Future of food

Mr Leon is not stopping there. He has been creating tasty recipes using eelgrass seeds. He found that the grains taste like brown rice and is a little bit salty at the end. They also absorb flavours well, so he cooked them in a soup stock to soak up its rich taste. The result is something like the Spanish paella. He has even ground them into flour to make bread and pasta.

Besides trying to convince the world to eat eelgrass as a grain, the chef is also finding a way to cultivate it. He has successfully grown it in small amounts and is now working to increase that number many times more.

Only when we grow eelgrass in large-enough quantities will it feed enough people to have a positive effect on the climate. The quantity of eelgrass around the world today is not yet enough to achieve this.

Mr Leon is persistent because he believes that we should eat food that is not only nutritious and tasty but also maintains the planet’s ecosystems. “We’ve opened a window,” he told The Guardian. “I believe it’s a new way to feed ourselves.”

VOCAB BUILDER

novelty (say “no-vel-tee”; noun) = something new and unusual.

paella (say “pah-yeh-yah”; noun) = a Spanish rice dish cooked with meat, seafood, and vegetables.

persistent (say “per-sis-tent”; adjective) = determined.

OMAR CHAUDHURI looks at why plans for a European Super League angered so many football fans.  

Football fans love to watch the best players competing for the biggest teams. It is why millions of people tune in to watch important Premier League, Champions League, or World Cup matches. So, when 12 of Europe’s most famous clubs announced last month they were going to start a new “Super League”, they thought their fans would be happy.

The Super League would mean that Manchester United would play Juventus, or Liverpool play Barcelona, much more often than they do today. The owners of these clubs thought that this was what their fans wanted. It turned out that not only were fans of other clubs angry, but fans of these clubs were very unhappy too.

The clubs were arrogant

In football, clubs do not normally get to decide which competitions they play in. All that matters is their results. If they play well, they get to play in top competitions like the Champions League. If they play badly, they are relegated to lower divisions.

However, for the Super League, the 12 clubs decided that they were the best in the world and started a new competition. This was seen as a very arrogant move because it was very clear that these were not the 12 best teams. Arsenal were one of the 12 clubs but were only 9th in the Premier League when the news was announced. They had just drawn with Fulham, one of the worst teams in the league. Italian club Milan last played in the Champions League in 2014 and had not won the Serie A in ten years. The decision to launch the Super League was like the makers of a movie giving themselves an Oscar, instead of letting the judges decide.

Not only did the clubs decide that they get to play in this new competition, but they also agreed that they cannot be relegated from the Super League, no matter how bad their results. Clubs that were not part of the permanent membership could however be relegated, even if they finished above one of the 12 clubs in the league table. Football fans could not accept that one club would be punished for good results, and another rewarded for bad results. For many, this is the opposite of what sport should be — free and fair competition, with everyone treated equally.

The clubs were greedy

The owners of the clubs believed that by playing in the Super League, almost all the football fans worldwide would watch this league. It would also probably mean that fewer fans would watch the other leagues, like La Liga. Even though Real Madrid would play in both the Super League and La Liga, fans may not take La Liga seriously. The Super League would therefore make the clubs in it very rich, and the clubs outside of it very poor. The Super League clubs said that they would give some of their money to clubs not in the competition, but certainly not all of it.

Even fans of the Super League clubs — who like seeing their teams buy some of the world’s best players for a lot of money — thought this was morally wrong. Many football clubs have been in existence for over 100 years and have their own supporters. There is so much money in football, fans feel that this should be shared around. Some fans of the Super League clubs even said that they would not watch their team in this new competition. This meant that the club owners’ predictions about the fans might be wrong.

The clubs did not care about history

By building a new competition to replace the Champions League, the clubs threatened to move away from competitions that have a lot of history. This history means a lot to the fans of the clubs. Real Madrid fans care a lot about the fact that they have won the most Champions League titles. Liverpool and Manchester United fans have a strong rivalry because they are the two most successful teams in the English league. A new competition would not have these memories, and would therefore mean less to the supporters.

The fans were also keen to let the owners know that they are only “custodians” of the club. This means that there were other owners before them, and there will be other owners after them, but the club will always be there. They were unhappy that the current owners were using the history of their clubs — history that was created a long time before they bought the team — to create more money for themselves.

The fans are everything

Football fans are known to get angry about many things, including referees, rival teams, and at their manager. But usually, this is only from one team’s fans. The Super League united almost all supporters. Through social media and protests at the clubs’ stadiums, they let their clubs know that they were unhappy.

Very soon after the announcement of the league, clubs started pulling out. The plans for the Super League are therefore paused, for now. The most important lesson for the clubs? They realise that without the support of their fans, they are nothing.

VOCAB BUILDER

arrogant (say “e-re-gent”; adjective) = full of self-importance.

relegated (say “re-lee-gay-ted”; verb) = pushed down to a lower position.

custodians (say “kas-to-dienz”; noun) = people who protect or take good care of something.

Marine mammals often do not do well in captivity. SHAMEEN IDICULLA reports.

The dolphins we see performing at shows may look like they are smiling and having fun. “But they are not,” states Singapore’s animal rights group ACRES. “Their mouth is just shaped in a way that we humans misinterpret as a smile…Visitors to marine aquariums often fail to see that the dolphins there had to have been ripped from their natural ocean environments, snatched away from their family and pod mates, held in nets, carried in trucks, hoisted into planes and flown for hours.”

This was probably the case for more than 20 bottlenose dolphins currently at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). They were brought here from the Solomon Islands to be a part of the Dolphin Island attraction. Today, visitors can choose from various programmes to meet and interact with these animals. RWS hopes that such activities will give people “a deeper understanding of marine life”. It says it is giving its dolphins the best possible care.

However, not everyone agrees that these marine mammals are fine. Critics argue that dolphins treated this way are often left traumatised. They are intelligent creatures who, like humans, feel emotions. They are sad to be separated from their families. They get bored when confined to small tanks. They get stressed when they have to constantly interact with human beings. They can become weak and ill, and often do not survive for long.

Four dolphins bought by Resorts World Sentosa have already died. A video uploaded to social media in December 2019 showed a captive dolphin repeatedly banging its head against the wall of its tank. Hence, several animal rights groups have been campaigning for the dolphins to be released back into the wild.

“In a world where so much that is wild and free has already been lost to us, we must leave these beautiful animals free to swim as they will and must,” said dolphin-activist Mr Ric O’Barry. “They do us no harm and wish us none, and we should let them alone.”

VOCAB BUILDER

misinterpret (say ‘mis-in-ter-pret’; verb) = misunderstand.

traumatised (say ‘tro-me-taiz’d’; adjective) = severely shocked and disturbed, with long-lasting pain.

“I paint flowers so they will not die.” — Frida Kahlo

Dear friend,

Frida Kahlo recognised the ephemeral quality of flowers — that they last a very short time, and she tried to preserve their beauty by painting them! There are many things in life that we wish would last a long, long time — a cherished friendship, a well-loved toy, that last bite of our favourite snack, or simply a moment of happiness. How would you make them last? How would you “paint” them?

– Linda Yew

Activity

Lasting beauty

Have you ever wished that some things would last longer? Jot them down in the flowers below! Then, think of fun, creative ways to make their beauty last that little bit longer! Jot down your ideas in the watering cans.

More and more people now understand that animals don’t just exist for human entertainment. Animal shows that are not good for the animals are being stopped. SHAMEEN IDICULLA reports.

SeaWorld is a chain of theme parks in America that was best known for its animal shows. Orcas were a big hit there, drawing loud applause as they did tricks to entertain audiences. Sadly, the animals were not having as much fun. Wildlife conservationists criticised SeaWorld’s shows and the public responded by avoiding the shows. When ticket sales fell, SeaWorld started phasing out its “One Ocean” orca show. SeaWorld San Diego was the first in 2017. SeaWorld Orlando followed in 2020.

Orcas (also known as killer whales) belong in the dolphin family. Like other dolphins, orcas do not do well in captivity. They are highly intelligent creatures who love being in their family groups, swimming together up to 160 km every day in the wild. So, being kept in tanks is very uncomfortable for them.

Stuck in tanks

Swimming about in endless circles in small tanks causes boredom, physical agony, and even deformities. For example, in the wild, orcas dive to great depths to avoid harsh sunlight. They cannot do the same in their comparatively shallow tanks. Without adequate protection from the sun’s rays, many of them get terrible sunburns on their skin.

You might also notice that most male killer whales in captivity have the fins on their backs bent over. This is known as a dorsal fin collapse. The condition is not often seen in the wild. The reason it is so common among captive specimens might be linked to the unnatural surroundings the animals are in.

Orcas in tanks spend most of their time on the surface. As a result, their fins do not get a lot of support from the surrounding water to stay upright. This causes the fins to droop over time, say some marine biologists. Others believe that factors like dehydration, warmer temperatures in tanks, changes in the animal’s diet, and reduced activity play a part too.

The artificial surroundings of a tank also interfere with their natural behaviour.  Orcas and other dolphins rely on echolocation to find their way in the oceans. The animals send out high-pitched sounds which travel through the water. These vibrations bounce off surrounding objects and return to the orca. Depending on the strength and direction of these echoes, the animal can make out details such as the depth of the water, the location of obstacles or prey and their size.

However, orcas rarely use echolocation in a tank, because they know that there is nothing other than four walls surrounding them. And, without echolocation, they are as good as being blind and deaf, say experts. World-renowned oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau once compared their sad situation to “a person being blindfolded in a jail cell”.

No pod life

Living in captivity also places the animals under great mental stress. Normally, orcas stay with their mothers for life and form deep relationships with their family group or “pod”. Each pod even develops its own special language for its members to communicate with each other. This kind of closeness makes it especially hard for the animals when they are captured by humans. Observers have seen orcas making loud keening sounds as they are dragged away from their pods.

The ordeal can have long-lasting effects on the creatures. Some become depressed, while others can turn aggressive. If the stress becomes unmanageable, orcas can show unnatural behaviour like butting their heads against the tank walls and chewing metal bars till they break their teeth. A few have even attacked their human trainers without warning.

They also become prone to various illnesses and infections. While wild orcas have been known to live for 50‒80 years, those in captivity tend to die much younger.

Winds of change

Ripple effect

SeaWorld’s announcement in 2016 renewed discussions about animal shows in other places too.  People started to realise that animals should not be forced to entertain humans.

As a result, some showbiz companies made similar changes. The famous Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus ended its elephant performances in 2016. But, the very next year, the circus had to close due to poor ticket sales.

Universal Studios stopped using orangutans and capuchin monkeys in its shows. And, countries like India, Costa Rica, Chile, and Hungary banned public dolphin performances.

Meanwhile, SeaWorld now focuses on another one of its strong points: conservation and rescue efforts.

“Together, we will work against commercial whaling and seal hunts, shark finning and ocean pollution,” SeaWorld promised. It has a team that is on call 24/7 to help with rescue operations to save birds and animals trapped in fishing nets and oil slicks, or those that are stranded and have no other place to go.

It has helped with more than 38,000 rescues to date. It has also given US$17 million to support conservation projects worldwide. And, its new orca shows are aimed at educating guests to protect wildlife and the environment.

Activity

Animal Idioms

Several phrases and idioms in English mention animals. For example, the expression “whale of a time” is used to describe how people are enjoying themselves. Can you complete the following idioms with the correct animal?

ELEPHANT, DUCKS, FLY, GOOSE, OYSTER, RAT, SARDINES, SNAKE

1. Like “a _______________ in the grass”. = someone who betrays you after pretending to be a friend.

2. “The world is your _______________.” = you are free to enjoy life’s many opportunities.

3. “Get your _______________in a row.” = get things organised.

4. “Packed like _______________.” = pressed together tightly because of lack of space.

5. Like “a _______________in the ointment”. = a small detail that spoils a situation.

6. “Smell a _______________.” = suspect something is wrong.

7. Like “an _______________in the room”. = an obvious problem that everyone is trying to ignore.

8. Like “a wild _______________ chase”. = a hopeless search for something impossible.

Answers

SHAMEEN IDICULLA looks at whether animals are better off in the wild or in captivity.

While the changes at SeaWorld have been cause for some celebration, wildlife activists say that more needs to be done. They would like to see all SeaWorld’s captive marine animals released back to their seas and oceans. This might be difficult for now. Most of the orcas owned by SeaWorld, for example, were born in captivity and may not know how to survive in the wild.

A happy compromise, suggests scientist Naomi Rose, would be to create special sanctuaries for captive orcas. These could be in bays or coves that are netted-off from the wider ocean, but with still enough room to give the animals adequate freedom. At the same time, experts could continue to monitor the orcas to make sure they remain healthy.

There is also the bigger question of whether wild animals should be held captive by humans at all. Should they be kept in zoos and aquariums? Are they not better off in their natural habitats?

Some argue that placing animals in zoos are a way of protecting them from bigger dangers such as poaching, pollution, and other human activities. Others point to how much we have learnt about animals from the animals we see in captivity.

“A lot of what we know about killer whale health has come out of SeaWorld research,” psychologist Heidi Harley told Science magazine. What we learn can be used to conserve animals in the wild.  “As the climate changes and the ocean changes, it would be nice to know how flexible these animals are and what impact a changing environment will have on them. There are so many questions.”

Seeing animals up close can also help us develop a relationship with them, and maybe empathise with them. When orcas were first used in shows, most spectators were afraid of them, thinking the creatures were cold-blooded killers. “Now, people hold their infants up to kiss them,” continued Dr Harley.

Animal right groups look at the issue differently. While some agree that well-run zoos can be educational, they also stress that the condition of the animals should come first. Only those creatures that can adapt to captivity without being bored, harassed or harmed should be housed in zoos. The activists also note how some animals are stolen from forests and placed in zoos, in the name of conservation. But, what it really does is reduce animal populations in the wild.

“Ultimately, endangered species will only be saved by preserving their habitats and combating the reasons they are killed by people,” clarifies PETA. For that to happen, it will require each and every one of us to make good choices so that we do not hurt our planet.

VOCAB BUILDER

compromise (say ‘kom-pro-maiz’; noun) = an agreement in which both sides reduce their demands.

sanctuaries (say ‘sank-chue-reez’; noun) = places where animals can life safely.