Unholy Alliances

No, not the Bush administration. This time.

I'm talking about the odd predilection Asian zoos have for displaying animals in random combinations. The most recent example is a French bulldog and a tiger. Last week it happened to be capybaras and squirrel monkeys. And who could ever forget the baby pigs dressed as tigers?

It's all seems so . . . unnatural. Sure, it's kind of cute and intriguing, but I highly doubt any of the animals involved would have chosen these circumstances. And reading the article about the baby pigs, you'll see that case was a mere gimmick to entice visitors. Sad.

I realize that on occasion, animals do form random bonds organically. Remember the baby hippo and the tortoise that hooked up after the tsunami? Those pictures were so cute they almost blinded me. But the situation wasn't manufactured for the purpose of revenue. (Though apparently a movie IS in the works, because nothing says cash cow like heart-warming animal story).

I keep going back to the French bulldog though. I have so many questions. Was the French bulldog actually IN the zoo? Hard to imagine, but as we recently learned, unusual dogs aren't well understood in Japan. Why a Frenchie? Was that the wackiest combination they could come up with at the time? What life lessons would a French bulldog impart? The best way to snuggle on the couch? The fine art of snoring and snorting? News articles rarely tell you what you REALLY want to know.