Pink millipede

A poisonous pink millipede discovered in Thailand last year has been recognised as one of the Top 10 New Species of 2007 by the International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE).

It is the first time the discovery of a species by Thai scientists has been recognised by the world's leading taxonomy institute, based at Arizona State University.

The Shocking Pink Millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea) was chosen from thousands of nominations from around the world by an international committee of taxonomy experts. They select an annual top-10 list based on unique attributes or surprising facts about the species, including peculiar names.

Source text: Bangkok Post ; Source image: Virginia Hughes

Albino turtle

Last month I went to an interesting fish exhibition at the Mall Bang Kapi.

The albino turtle on display is an endangered animal, with only a few remaining around the world.

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

TSPCA celebrates its 13th anniversary!

An independent and non-profit organization, the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) was officially established on 31 January 1994, by a voluntary management council.

In August 1997, TSPCA had been granted an affiliate status with the UK-based Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) which has worldwide network of over 140 countries.

On 16 October 1997, TSPCA has been officially registered as non-profit and non-governmental organization to be active on the conservation and protection of Thailand’s natural resources and environment according to the Act on the Promotion and Conservation of the Quality of Natural Resources and Environment B.E. 2535

TSPCA Vision

Development and Promotion of Animal Welfares in order to:
- Create Better Natural Environment and better Public Health to Communities.
- Boost Moral Value and Proper Treatment towards Animals among Individuals and Animal-Related Industries to Promote Thailand’s Social and Economic Prosperity.

Contact TSPCA

120 Kasemkij Building, Room 301, Silom Rd., Bangkok 10500 THAILAND
Tel. : 66 (0) 2236 2176
Fax : 66 (0) 2266 5104
E-mail : info@thaispca.org
Website : http://www.thaispca.org/

Charity event

The BARKING BANQUET hosted by SCAD Bangkok (formerly Soi Dog Rescue) is a fundraiser that will take place on Wednesday, March 5, 2008, from 7:30pm to 11:30pm, at Jamesense Restaurant (Garden Grove Building 2F, Sukhumvit Soi 16).

Put your paws on the table and enjoy a sumptuous Mediterranean Buffet with complimentary glass of wine at the Barking Banquet. Bring your friends along for an evening of great food, great company and great fun at this delightful new restaurant.

Bark and meow your bids in the "Dutch" auction where some bonesome prizes (& some kibble) are up for grabs. Tickets are 600 baht per person and are on sale at Jamesense (0-2363-3191-2), ReTails and ReTails Too (http://www.scadbangkok.org/retails). Contact Info Email: tami@scadbangkok.

The sadest thing

... chained elephant at Dream World, an amusement park in Bangkok.

Water Buffalo Race

I was today in Chonburi to watch the water buffalo races.

A very hot day, but the buffaloes put on a great show!

Oh, no! Cats!

A few Fridays ago my wife came late from work. She called me and told that that she would be later. She was going somewhere with her friends. I was at home doing some writing or blogging or reading, I can’t remember exactly.

At a point I decided to cool off and take a shower. While under the shower, my wife came home and took all the precautions that the bathroom door was closed. I shouted that I was safely locked inside. She came in with two girl friends and a basket. When I finally came out of the shower, with a towel wrapped around my waists, my wife’s friends were gone.

The basket was open in the middle of our living room. There was a big, white cat inside. She was dead scared! I told her that the cat was a big surprise. Not too pleasant though. When I finally accepted the cat, she told me that there’s another one under the bed. That one was too scared to come out! There was no point in arguing, but I made myself as clear as I possibly could that the cats had to go. She asked me to give the cats a chance, so, reluctantly, I said “Okay, darling.”

We moved the cats behind a wardrobe (we had just moved in, so the furniture was not in place), we gave the cats food and water and went to out. After al, it was Friday! When we returned, the cats were in the same place. It seemed that they hadn’t moved at all. In the morning – the same story. The cats hadn’t touched the food or the water.

We both decided that the cats could not adapt to our room. Of course they couldn’t! They were one year old, and until then they had lived a life of freedom in a house with a big garden. So, we put the cats in the basket and drove them back to their previous owner.

... more cat stories from Thailand by Thaistory...

The cat in the pictures above is present during all my tutoring lessons. As you can see, she's a lazy one!

Three legged dog

Pictures taken in front of the Labour Department, in Ding Deng area. Although I wanted to add some captions as I always do, this time I will the pics speak for themselves.

Dogs everywhere

There are so many stray dogs in Thailand! I have been living and working in this country for 5 years now, but even I am sometimes shocked by the hoards of stray dog that roam the streets of Bangkok (and, as a matter of fact, any other province that I’ve been to).

The reasons why the Thais accept these dogs on the streets are varied, but I tend to believe that it is due to their King’s love for Thong Daeng, a street dog adopted by His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej (the world’s longest-reigning monarch). The Buddhist religion has a word to say into this matter, too. Being a religion of peace, Buddhism forbids the killing of any living thing, thus, by extension, stray dogs can’t be euthanatized, only sterilized. How many dogs are being sterilized in Bangkok every year, I don’t know! But I bet not too many!

Some of these stray dogs don’t like the smells of Caucasians, and on several occasions I’ve been barked at and even attacked by “man’s best friend.” Now, I have a very good relationship with the 10 dogs (I think there are more now) that live around my apartment building in Ramkhampeng area. I wanted to be on good terms with all of them from the very beginning, so, at first, I gave them every other night a bone or two. Now, whenever they see me, they gather around me and beg for food. I fell petty for them, so I regularly ask the lady that sells rice and chicken for some bones which I have to distribute to each and every one of them individually, or else the big ones would take control over the bones!

For three months there was peace in the parking lot. No dog was barking, no dog was whining, no dog was fighting. But, probably the word went out that these dogs are having a good life, and now new dogs, bigger and stronger came to claim the territory and the goodies that come with it: food and bit… oh, I won’t use this word, … female dogs. As a consequence, the dog that used to be in charge is being beaten up constantly and there’s a lot of noise, both during the day and at night.

I’m trying to solve the problem by not giving the invader dogs any of the food that I bring, but until now I had no success. On the contrary, it seems that even more dogs appear every day! I think that one of the female dogs is in heat…

Free parrot

I took this picture a few days back while I was having fried rice at my usual street restaurant (Ramkhampeng area, Bangkok). When the Thai guys that were looking after the parrot saw me taking pictures, they beautified the immediate surrounding by removing the cleaning utensils and encouraged me to take some more pictures! I did take a few more shots, but I deleted them when I got home. When I finished my meal, the parrot was still on top of the cage!