A special friendship
December 4, 2004
It's one of the great enduring friendships -- Frank and Nippy, New Zealand zookeeper and animal, human and gibbon.
Two of Wellington Zoo's most beloved members celebrated an unusual milestone this week when they marked 55 years of unstinting service.
Frank Coles, 64, a former head zookeeper at Wellington Zoo, and Nippy the 57-year-old gibbon have known each other since 1949.
The pair have both set longevity records recently. Frank is the longest-serving employee at the Wellington City Council, while Nippy is believed to be the oldest living gibbon in captivity.
When the duo first met, Frank was an eight-year-old schoolboy and son of the head keeper. Nippy was a two-year-old new arrival at the zoo. Over the years, the two came to know each other very well, Mr Coles said.
"Nippy originally had a partner, but she died and he was very distressed. So we used to come in and give him a cuddle and keep him company."
After that, Nippy went through his turbulent adolescent years, waking local residents with his early-morning hooting and earning his nickname by biting several keepers.
"One Dutchman called Joe got half his ear bitten off by Nippy," Mr Coles said.
However, Nippy is now much more docile.
"He is so mellow now. He is a soft-tempered, good-natured old gibbon."
That doesn't mean there's no life in him, though. He still enjoys a specially made honey and fruit iceblock and can give Mr Coles a bit of cheek when he feels like it.
Hollering and hooting are still his trademarks, especially when schoolchildren have an athletics meeting at neighbouring Newtown Park.
As for Mr Coles, he has no plans to leave the zoo anytime soon.
Working with animals was immensely rewarding and provided "the whole spectrum of experiences", he said.
NZPA
Woman auctions father's ghost on eBay
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Mary Anderson said she placed her father's "ghost" on the online auction site after her son, Collin, said he was afraid the ghost would return someday. Anderson said Collin has avoided going anywhere in the house alone since his grandfather died last year.
article...
School Bus Driver Fired Over Stem Cell Talk
Dec 3, 9:11 AM (ET)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A school bus driver who chatted about stem cell research with her pupils was fired for inappropriate behavior, a local newspaper said on Thursday.
Stem cell research was a divisive issue in the November U.S. presidential election. Supporters say it may eventually help people with conditions such as Alzheimer's and cancer but opponents argue it would be unethical when it involves cloning human embryos or harvesting cells from embryos.
The Buffalo News said Julianne Thompson, 42, was fired from her job in Grand Island, New York after parents complained about her discussing the issue with pupils on Nov. 1 -- the day before the presidential election.
Thompson told the newspaper she had read an interview where movie director Mel Gibson said more than 20 years of embryonic stem cell research had not cured any diseases but more than 300,000 cures had been found with adult stem cells. She said she then shared the stated facts with the pupils, without offering her opinions.
"In the midst of all the misplaced outrage, is the story of the sad and disturbing success of a fraudulent social 'conscience' that devalues life in favor of demonstrably failed science, wasting billions of dollars in the process," she was quoted as saying.
Education authorities in the town were not immediately available for comment but the paper quoted schools Superintendent Thomas Ramming as saying employees were not allowed to discuss political issues with students.
"You can say anything you want as a private citizen when you are off duty," Ramming said.
msolga wrote:Hey, anyone seen Col Man yet?
Col is in Argentina at the moment, but he has also been banned.
Good grief! Will be be back?
This is very sad. You're in touch, Montana?
Yes. We talk often when he's not away.
Well please say hello from me, Montana ... & tell him he's missed here .... & that hopefully, he'll be back soon!
I sure will Olga. I know he'll be happy to hear that people are missing him ;-)
Oh, we are! We are! This is terrible!
I know. Even though I talk to him all the time, I still miss his amusing posts in here :-(
A very sympathetic & caring person, too ....
Yes he is, very much so. And he's cute to boot. Don't tell him I said that though. I don't want it going to his head ;-)
I miss him too, Montana, tell him I said hello
You bet Colorbook. I can't remember when he said he was coming back, but I'll tell him as soon as I hear from him.
