China Urged to Cut Out Monkey Business
As China's national holiday week pushes on, one of its most controversial festivities came to a close Monday.  The 4^th annual National Animal Olympics took place at the Shanghai Wildlife Park over the weekend.  The games, billed as a family event, featured over 300 captive animals participating in events such as monkey weightlifting, bear boxing, a kangaroo fighting a clown, a chimpanzee bicycle race, mountain goat hurdles and a brown bear in a tutu navigating an obstacle course.  Photos, like the one to the right, were released to the media Tuesday.  Needless to say, international animal rights groups were up in arms over the event.  The U.K. group Captive Animals Protection Society protested the event and petitioned the Chinese embassy in London.  The British and Aussie-based RSPCA said the event "further fueled fears about China's barbaric treatment of animals."  An organization of animal advocacy groups wrote a letter to the Chinese government demanding this year's games be the last.  The event that drew the most international outrage was the boxing match between an Australian kangaroo and a clown.  Reportedly, the clown hit the 'roo with a mean left hook in the 4th round at which point the joey's mouthpiece went flying across the ring.  While the kangaroo was the aggressor in the early rounds, the Chinese clown hung in late, boxing in an Ali-like controlled manner and countering the 'roo's quick jab assault.  However, in the end, the marsupial's lack of mobility and mini-boxing gloves proved to be its demise.  In a split decision, the winner and STILL Animal Olympic champion: The Clown.  With regard to China's appalling animal rights record-- this issue is more complex than it seems.  China does not view animals the same way as Westerners do.  I realized this in a Shanghai taxi a while back when I passed a pickup truck carrying a couple dozen skinned dogs.  The Chinese attitude toward animal rights isn't "wrong" or "worse", it's just different.  In the U.S. or Europe it is an animal's right to be treated in a humane and decent manner.  And in China, if a monkey's dream is to train all year in pursuit of a gold medal in the weightlifting competition at the Animal Olympics, it is his God-given right.

•Video: National Animal Olympics
•Phayul.com: Cruelty Olympics