The city council in Chatham, Ontario, has hired men to go round the city at night shooting crows. Suppose these had been baby monkeys, or run-away children. Would they be doing the same thing? Probably not.

From March 13, Thais payed tribute to elephants for their contributions to mankind during Thai Elephant Week at the National Elephant Institute, a refuge for healthy and invalid elephants in the northern province of Lampang, 160km southeast of Chiang Mai city.

Respected and revered, elephants hold great significance in Buddhism and are symbolic of monarchs and the nation.

In the past, these intelligent beasts have worked alongside man, provided transportation and even played a crucial role in times of war.

During Thai Elephant Week, visitors can learn about the traditions and practices inherent to maintaining an elephant's health and well-being.

And one of the highlights of this celebration is feeding elephants a Northern Khantok dinner - an ancient royal tradition of the Lanna Kingdom where sticky rice and traditional dishes are served on a wooden tray to the accompaniment of Northern music and classical dances.

As the National Elephant Institute aims to develop the conservation of elephants sustainably while preserving local traditions and improve the tourism business that involves elephants, the institute also offers a variety of eco-tourism activities for guests that maybe enjoyed throughout the year.

The United States' new bumchum the "People's" Republic of China, has a crappy little secret. And even though they promised to combat this evil, in fact, the problem is growing.

I recently came across an article on the CNN web-site. An animal welfare group had found that a certain size of joghurt pot is just the right size and shape for skunks to get their heads into. Unfortunately, they often get stuck, and suffocate. The amazing thing is that CNN ran this as a humorous piece.