BIOPHILE 16 — JUNE/JULY 2007 R25 - Biophile Magazine

All bent and twisted!We couldn’t put your magazinedown! It’s all bent and twisted andwe’re showing it to everyone! Atleast five of our friends are goingout tomorrow to buy the magazine— they LOVE it too!I’m a physical fitness instructor/personaltrainer and have astudio from home and my beliefshave always been along the linesof what your magazine promotes.My husband is a Naturalist artist— please find attached a fewexamples of his artworks — andhe’s also believed and followed thesame beliefs forever despite therejection when people pull grossedout faces at what he loudly saysabout we’re burning out the earthetc etc...He’s a bodysculptor/builder bygenetics and lifestyle and I followthe same principles but in anEXTREMELY Holistic way!! Somepeople just don’t understand thatyou have to respect your body andtreat and feed it the right stuff asmother earth intented even somepeople in the fitness industry dothings that go completely againstthe fitness rules and simply cozthey have great genetics getaway with it but it’s still not goodthough!Corne (Ms Figure & Ms Physique)and Frans (World Champ)Monbiot’sfallacyYour Durban reader JM’s letter “A finebrush stroke” (Biophile Issue 15) refers.I could not agree more with whatyour enlightened correspondent is sayingaltogether, but would like to bring toher/his attention, as well as yours andyour readership’s, the essential fallacyconcerning George Monbiot’s Heat:How to Stop the Planet Burning (sinceJM uses a quote from this particularbook to bolster her/his argument).INBox: our readers writeExotic despairIn South Africa, the ownership or possessionof an indigenous animal is illegal without apermit (nudge, nudge – wink, wink). Who’sgonna know anyway?Yet, it is apparently acceptable and actuallypreferable for usto rape, pillage,plunder andexploit a foreigncountry’s wildlifeand heritage.All the hassle and redtape involved in acquiring of apermit for an ‘exotic’, is not even anissue or a requirement.South Africans must realize and understandthat our vulnerable and valuableindigenous wild animals areso-called ‘exotics’ in every othercountry, around the world?It has been documented thatbetween 1990 and 1999 the EuropeanUnion imported 176 000 chameleons…Should we not be questioning where allthose chameleons came from?To ‘possess’ an exotic animal is an attemptto change the very nature of these animals,but these beautiful creatures are wild andunpredictable by their very nature, and arenot suited to life in captivity.Exotics always require specialized careand have very specific housing and dietaryrequirements, which the average person willbe unable to provide in the long term. Oftenthese animals are forced to live their lives indeplorable conditions.Exotics will on occasion ‘escape’ or are‘freed’ by bored, frustrated owners and endup fending for themselves in a completelyWhereas Monbiot discusses thehuge costs of tackling climate change,but claims these are manageable inthe long run because the global economywill keep growing by 2-3% a yearthroughout the 21st century, he at thesame time assumes the required 90%reduction in CO2 emissions is somehowattainable by 2030. His analysis is basedon the United Kingdom’s present populationand economy, which are growingslowly if at all. And even here he strugglesto reach this goal in overall terms,giving it up completely in respect of thehighly damaging air transport.And yet, unchecked world populationcould easily double this century,while the global economy, given hisforeign land. These animals will then have tocompete with our indigenous wildlife for precioushabitat and feed in order to survive.We all have a duty to protect our indigenouswildlife from exploitation and extinction.In order to attain these ideals; we mustaccept responsibility for and protect thoseanimals indigenous to other lands.Exotic (wild) animals should be sent backhome, where they are surely being missedand where they truly belong.P.S. Of those 176 000 chameleons exportedto the EU it is estimated that only 10%survived their first six months in captivity.Please consider a more suitable compa ion...Paula SpagnolettiCORRECTION: VONDIS HOLISTIC PET NUTRITIONIn our last issue, we printed Paul’s cellphone number incorrectly.The correct number is: 083 326 9931assumed growth rates, is expected toincrease tenfold!Even the juggler of concepts andwords of his caliber cannot obscurethe iron-clad fact that endless materialexpansion is impossible in a world offinite resources which is our only planetEarth, and replacing capitalism witha steady-state, non-growing economy(accompanied by a firm cap on anyfurther population expansion) withinthe next couple of decades at the latestis the only way for humanity to avertutter ruin.How’s that for the self-proclaimedguru of the global [environmental]movement?Ivan Brezović MlinarićBiophile Issue 163