The Fish Egg Tree

Filming Pick-Ups Begins for The Hobbit Again Next Week.

2013-05-16T07:00:00.003+07:00

Bilbo himself, Martin Freeman, posing for me on the red carpet.

Stay tuned for exclusive interviews and videos here on The Fish Egg Tree.

About 6 weeks ago the folks at Weta Workshop and 3 Foot 7 began hauling props and set pieces out of storage and inspecting them for re-use in filming next week. Most of the principal cast from The Hobbit Trilogy have been returning to Wellington over the past few days (some returned quite a while ago to re-train and get back in shape) to begin filming the remainders of The Desolation of Smaug (to be released in December this year) and There and Back Again (December 2014). The special edition of The Hobbit is hoped to be in stores by the time Desolation of Smaug is released.

A variety of clips (known as pick-ups), unfinished scenes and supplements for the special editions will be filmed over 10 weeks. Filming has been scheduled to begin on May 19. Filming will be intensive, beginning with early-morning make-up sessions at 5am and going late into each day.

Park Road Post Production. Though pleasant from the outside, it's surprising how large it actually is on the inside. This is where much of the work gets done after principal filming. Its closed to the public but I did have a lovely lunch inside with a friend at Weta.

Most filming is expected to be done in studios around Wellington; namely Miramar and in the Lower Hutt. However, the outdoor set for the city of Dale has remained in place on the Miramar peninsula since original filming, and it is likely that some additional shooting will be done there.

The set for Lake Town at Stone Street Studios in Miramar.

Its long been known within Wellington that key scenes from The Battle of Five Armies at the end of the films have yet to be completed. It has been rumoured that men with beards and character faces would be in demand for the battle scenes (further confirmed by last week’s extras casting call), and so all year men around Wellington have been sporting an unusual number of long, bushy beards, in hopes of landing a part for the trilogy’s epic finale.

Cate Blanchett on the red carpet.

I'll just say she looks like a million dollars whether she's on the red carpet or out of the limelight.

Best wishes to my friends at Weta Digital, Weta Workshop, 3 Foot 7 and all the cast and crew. If you happen to be in Wellington over the coming weeks, be sure to keep an eye out for hobbits, dwarves, elves, wizards, Laketowners and a ranger or two...

Stay tuned for more exclusives on The Hobbit from Wellington, New Zealand...

Where Joel Brinkley Went Wrong on Vietnam: He Should Have Pissed Everyone Off With The Truth

2013-02-13T16:12:00.000+07:00

Earlier this month Stanford University Professor Joel Brinkley created a huge uproar with a piece for the Chicago Tribune, titled: "Despite increasing prosperity, Vietnam's appetites remain unique". In it he basically suggested that Vietnamese are voracious carnivores who have eaten everything in Vietnam that moves; from wild to domestic animals; stripping the country bare, and that in so doing this, he explains, the Vietnamese are somehow more aggressive than their neighbors.

Throughout, his story was full of incorrect observations, assumptions and analysis. Many readers took great offense to the article (many seemed particularly sensitive to comments about dog meat) and accused Brinkley of being racist and unprofessional. I will forgo analysing of his equally offensive defence of the article, or addressing any particular detractor. However, I would like to point out how Mr. Brinkley could have written his article to be more factually correct—although I have no doubt it would still create an uproar among certain overseas Vietnamese and expats regardless.

Brinkley begins by asserting that visitors will not see dogs, rats, birds or squirrels in Vietnam because they have all been eaten. This is of course blatantly untrue. Most urban areas have serious sanitation problems in Vietnam and rats are a veritable plague in some places. Dogs are assuredly popular pets. Indeed however, squirrels and birds are far less common than they used to be, for the very reason he states (as well as the pet trade). Many of the bird species that I commonly saw 10 years ago, even in urban areas, have been completely absent in these places for several years.

Brinkley is correct when he goes on to say that Vietnam, like its neighbors, has a serious problem in trafficking of large mammals, although I would differ with him in the idea that most of these tigers, elephants, bears and rhinos are being trafficked to China—the Vietnamese themselves consume many of these animals. He is also correct that Vietnamese have specifically targeted rhinos (for their horns). He didn’t say this, but I will: that Vietnam has been the primary instigator in a worldwide war on rhinos. Vietnam is directly responsible for poaching of rhino horns in not just Asia but also Africa.

Brinkley mentions that gibbons in Vietnam are near extinction because they have been eaten. This is true. Obviously they are trafficked and eaten (or used in medicine) by a minority of people (it couldn’t be a majority, since there are so few numbers of gibbons left due to all the trafficking and habitat destruction anyway). Even in my province of Binh Thuan, several ethnic minority villages specialize in hunting of what’s left of the province’s monkeys and gibbons.

Brinkley goes on to say that while the Vietnamese have consumed all their wildlife, it’s neighbors have left theirs alone. The truth is a bit more muddy. Vietnam has indeed stripped much of its own wildlife from the country. Cambodia has too—thanks largely to the turmoil of the Khmer Rouge years and poverty afterwards. Thailand, Laos and Myanmar do have a serious problem with wildlife trafficking, however their forests (particularly those in Laos) are indeed much more pristine than Vietnam’s. In the case of Laos and Myanmar this may simply come down to a smaller population to land ratio. In Thailand this may be to the result of a higher level of economic development and more effective wildlife management by the government.

Brinkley is correct that Vietnam’s culture originally derived from China, and its neighbors more from India. He is also correct that Vietnam has had a violent and aggressive history over the long term—Vietnam spent the last 1000 years not just periodically fighting for independence from China, but also continuously attacking the southern Kingdom of Champa, until it was destroyed and eventually conquered by the Vietnamese. However, Brinkley’s suggestion that Vietnam is somehow more aggressive than it’s neighbors, who all fought battles of their own, or that this is somehow linked to excessive animal protein in their diet is nothing more than groundless and silly Vegan pop-psychology. Meat is common in the national diet of all of these countries, regardless of romantically ignorant ideas of their religious history and culture.

Brinkley is correct that dog is a popular food in Vietnam, and that stray dogs do get quickly grabbed up and sent to restaurants and markets. I saw this happen every day myself. I also saw a lot of dogs chopped up in butcher shops in Hanoi and around Sapa on my visits. In fact in some villages I visited in northern Vietnam, dog meat was more commonly eaten than beef—even the pho usually contained thit cho. Nonetheless, many people in Vietnam do keep pet dogs—and don’t eat them either.

Brinkley’s problem was largely a matter of generalizations. Vietnam does indeed have a serious problem with wildlife trafficking, but unfortunately he used anecdotes and extremes out of context, and incorrectly applied them to the whole country. As someone who has spent nearly a decade living in Vietnam, I can assure you that while many ‘unusual animals’ are eaten in Vietnam, the vast majority of people normally stick to things like chicken, duck, beef, pork and seafood… and the occasional frog… maybe a snake… a bucket of snails once in a while… rarely a turtle… in Mui Ne lizards are popular… oh, and fried silk worms or crickets are good… porcupines and bamboo rats do make it on the menu once in a while in rural villages… and there was that time Anthony Bourdain ate (an illegal) mouse deer in Dalat on international cable tv… but yes, the vast majority of people stick to chicken, duck, beef, pork and seafood most of the time.

Other arguments aside, I must set something strait on the rats, as someone who's seen plenty of rats eaten in Vietnam, and eaten them myself in Vietnamese homes on more than one occasion. The only real difference between a 'clean field rat' and a 'dirty city rat' is whether they are caught on the field-side or the house-side of the sewer-gutter. Nobody--I repeat nobody--'farm raises' rats in Vietnam. Regardless of where they are caught, rats are disease-carrying vermin, whether they are eaten out of desire or necessity. And while I am on the subject, with all this talk of dogs and rats, I'm surprised nobody brought up Vietnamese eating cats. Though not nearly as popular (dog restaurants are peppered throughout my old home town of Phan Thiet, and common throughout every part of Vietnam), cats are also occasionally eaten in the countryside. In fact, in the Central Highlands, quite a few Kinh Vietnamese immigrants from Hanoi frequent dog and cat restaurants. In Vietnam cat meat is called 'little tiger meat' because it sounds sexier than 'morsels of house cat.' Now of course it would be wrong to say that all Vietnamese eat dog, cat or rats--just like it would be wrong to say that all Americans live on pizza and hamburgers. But one thing I can say for sure, of the many Vietnamese folks that do eat said animals, they really don't give a damn what the rest of us think about it.

My Predictions for Vietnam in 2013

2012-12-26T14:58:00.004+07:00

Last year I offered my very popular post with predictions for Vietnam in 2012. Most of them actually turned out to be true, such as my points on the failing economy and crackdowns on rights and speech. A few did not come out as planned though--Vietnam did accept that awful 7 Wonders award, for instance. You can read last year's predictions here and let me know how you think I did. Below are my new predictions for 2013:

Economy:

2013 Will bring a pronounced recession to Vietnam, with a GDP growth rate near or below 4%.

Real Estate and finance sectors will continue to contract. Saigon and Hanoi property markets will be hit hardest with catastrophic numbers of building projects stalled or abandoned.

In a continued effort to avert impending failure of state banks, Vietnam will consolidate them further and significantly tighten banking regulations. Emergency measures will be imposed and a sudden bank holiday instituted when a perceived run on the banks occurs. The sudden withdraw of significant funds will cause at least one state bank to fail. Emergency measures will be taken to quickly absorb the loss and merge the bank(s) with a larger entity. A moratorium will be placed on state-controlled press to limit stories on the bank failure.

There will be further crack-downs on trade in gold and currency exchange.

Overall, Western retail and fast-food brands will vacate Vietnam.

Exports will grow slightly.

Vietnam will increase restrictions on foreigners living and working in Vietnam.

Speech and the Internet:

A scandal will ensue when information is made public suggesting that one or more major foreign social media and internet giants has been providing private user information to the Vietnam government, resulting in the harassment and arrests of both Vietnamese and expatriate users residing in Vietnam.

Vietnam will continue to detain, arrest and deport foreign bloggers, writers and journalists.

American citizen and peaceful pro-democracy activist Nguyen Quoc Quan will be sentenced to between 5 and 7 years prison and accused of trying to overthrow the Vietnam government. The sentence will result from the Vietnam government’s perception of weakness on the part of the Obama Administration under the tenure of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Ambassador Shear. Additionally, in an attempt to test the waters, Vietnam will further capture and hold other US citizens as political prisoners; among them possible writers, bloggers, journalists or pro-democracy activists.

With the contraction of the economy, grumblings will increase against the Communist Party and government leadership. There will be increasing government paranoia and crackdowns on free speech and restrictions on topics in blogs, music and other media.

South China Sea and Other Unrest:

Tensions between China and Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan will continue to escalate. Ships belonging to Vietnam and the Philippines will be sunk and the crew killed or taken prisoner. Widespread protests will occur in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, particularly in the summer. High-profile protestors will be arrested and sentenced to re-education camps. Among them will be US and French citizens.

Several new government land-grabs will occur, resulting in large-scale riots in the north. Police brutality will cause several riots in the south.

Once again, several high-profile government officials and businessmen will be forced into early retirement and then arrested.

Tourism and Mui Ne:

Tourism numbers will be the lowest in a decade but the Tourism Administration will produce its customary inflated figures to hide the actual numbers.

Vietnam will largely be ignored by tourism media in 2013.

Vietnam will continue to develop misguided tourism campaigns intended more to promote territorial rights over the South China Sea than develop tourism.

The Vietnam Tourism Administration will attempt yet another poorly-received branding-makeover.

Tourist numbers from western countries will decline but tourists from China and Southeast Asia will increase.

Mui Ne will be one of the few major Vietnam tourism destinations to stay afloat in 2013 but performance will be anaemic. Russian tourists will continue to dominate.

Environment:

Forced government closure of the Tam Dao Bear Sanctuary will receive international media attention but it will be too little, too late.

Vietnam’s war on the African Rhino will continue. Government or military officials in Vietnam will be implicated for their involvement by an investigation conducted in South Africa.

By the end of 2013, no wild or semi-wild elephants will remain in Vietnam. The few remaining captive elephants will be under threat from poachers and require constant monitoring. Wild elephants will effectively be extinct in Vietnam.

In 2013 no new evidence of wild tigers will be produced in Vietnam, raising some to suggest tigers are now locally extinct.

Bird Flu, Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, Dengue and Swine Flu will all continue to be serious epidemics. A resilient new strain of one of the diseases will emerge, causing speculation of the possibility for a new pandemic.

Vietnam will continue to push ahead with its new Nuclear program with Russia and Japan but several significant setbacks will suggest serious viability issues. The US will however renew it’s support and provide funding, technology and training, despite serious safety problems in the location and development of the nuclear reactors.

Many new species will be discovered in 2013, particularly reptiles and insects. Additionally there will be several ancient archaeological discoveries of new temples.

US – Vietnam Relations

At least two out of three (President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta) will visit Vietnam in 2013. One or more in 2013 will publically suggest the Obama Administration’s support of Vietnam against China in territorial disputes within the South China Sea, as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has done in the past.

The Obama administration will continue to negotiate terms for a US naval base in Cam Ranh Bay. However Vietnam will not consent until China attacks and captures several Vietnamese naval installations in the South China Sea, some time prior to 2019.

The Obama administration will be unable to secure the release of any of several Americans to be held prisoner in Vietnam in 2013.

The US will continue to provide back-room support in the form of money, technology and training for Vietnam’s programs to maintain territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea.

The Parrot's Bubble Gum Ice Cream

2012-12-26T11:10:00.002+07:00

Jeremiah was no bullfrog. He was my blue and gold macaw. A parrot originally from South America, his earliest days were spent riding the handrail in the front of a repainted blue and yellow school bus. He rode with my family for 10 days and 5000 miles, looking out the windows on our journey from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along the Al-Can Highway and ending in Anchorage, Alaska. Jeremiah and I bonded on that trip, sharing perhaps a dozen bubble-gum-flavored ice cream cones, french fries and bags of M&Ms. Before either he or I knew chocolate wasn't good for birds, they were one of his favorite things in the world, although he did tend to eat the peanuts and spit out the chocolate, to my bewilderment.

Jeremiah loved the view from the bus windshield, and seemed to particularly marvel when we stopped to watch a mother moose with calf along the road, or a bald eagle perched in a tree below the snowy mountains.

At the end of the journey and in the years--then decades--that passed, Jeremiah was relegated to the periphery of the house. He wasn't ignored, but 'his corner' was out of the way where his messes (a healthy Macaw is anything but tidy) wouldn't interfere with the rest of the house. He wasn't isolated, but it was perhaps lonely.

I went off to college, and off to work, then overseas to live. One year I came back from Vietnam to visit and was sitting in the living room. While I was watching tv, Jeremiah did something he hadn't done since my childhood. In the back of the house he climbed down from his cage and walked down the hall. I heard the click, click, click of his claws on the wooden floor. He came into the living room, walked around from the couch, and climbed into my lap. I was completely surprised. He looked up and talked to me. Then he looked over to my ice cream and talked to me some more, as if asking permission. I pushed the bowl of ice cream over to him and we shared it. When it was finished he sat in my lap all evening, talking, cuddling and watching tv.

I didn't know that he still remembered those days in the bus to Alaska, so long ago. I assumed he'd hardened a bit in his age. Those times were special to me, but what I didn't realize was how special they must have also been to him, and how the absence of such times with me in his later years may have also impacted him.

I few weeks later I went back to Vietnam. Jeremiah died a soon after.

Concerning Mountain Ponies

2012-12-24T07:50:00.001+07:00

I saw The Hobbit again over the weekend. Just as good on a second viewing. The treks through caves, mountain cliffsides and goblin towns really strike a chord with me. My trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan, China was the longest, most treacherous, and only two-day walk through the mountains that I have ever endured. Hiking above the Yellow Sands River, which later becomes the Yangtze, my brother and I passed through Naxi villages in hanging valleys along the ancient Tea Horse Trail. The first day we were caught in a storm and the wind howled fiercely through the teeth of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. After a night in a cliffside tavern we continued our trek through waterfalls cascading across the mountain path. As we turned a corner a train of ponies saddled with bags appeared in a bend of the trail ahead. The path followed a cliff that fell thousands of feet to the gorge below. The way was only big enough to walk single file, so I hugged the rocks as the ponies stumbled passed. I looked into the eyes of the last as he came close, wondering what he would think if he knocked me off the mountain to my death in the gorge below. Would he feel any responsibility or remorse? As he passed me, his rump knocked me against the rock face and his hoof stepped on my sore feet. His stomach groaned and then grumbled into a loud fart just below my head. I looked back at him and his burdened comrades as they turned the corner and out of sight, but he did not look back at me.

Christmas Greetings 2012

2012-12-23T14:23:00.003+07:00

Merry Christmas to all my friends across the world; you my new friends in New Zealand who I've been blessed to meet, you friends in the US--most of whom I've known since college days, my dear friends in Vietnam and Cambodia over the last decade, and a few of you who have been scattered elsewhere across the globe. I'm spending this Christmas in Wellington--something quite unplanned--much like a certain Christmas in a small fishing town east of Saigon in 2003. Although I feel most fortunate to spend this holiday season in beautiful New Zealand, a part of my heart will always wander the city streets of Phan Thiet late on Christmas eve, with crowds of friends and neighbors under canopies of colored lights and bright red Christmas stars.

Girls With Poo Power

2012-12-23T09:17:00.000+07:00

I've been thinking a lot about my old friend Nahja this week. She was a cheeky but pretty adolescent female that had a pronounced crush on me. She also had a habbit of picking up her poo and rolling it in her lips. Such are the vices of captive chimpanzees. She and the other girls in her cage would bang on the bars to get my attention. I thought they were being ornery but only towards the end of my time with them did I realize that I was being fawned over. I did learn to use my new powers of ape attraction to immediate and diabolical ends however. I found I could request precisely where, when and at whom I could have that poo between her lips tossed at. I miss Nahja...

Birthdays with Dead Bodies

2012-12-22T13:48:00.001+07:00

I'm reminded today of the most unusual 'birthday party' that I ever attended.

I drove three hours north by motorbike to the province of Ninh Thuan with a caravan of friends. I still wasn't sure which person in our group was actually having the party since none spoke English well and my Vietnamese wasn't up to snuff yet either... I just came along for the fun of it and hoped I would figure it all out eventually.

After a lovely banquet of duck blood porridge and rice crackers, stewed porcupine (I found out what it was days later), and minced rat salad (unfortunately I found that one out mid-meal when a friend pointed out the tiny little skulls which I had overlooked), my friends leaned over the table excitedly and asked 'So do you want to go see the dead body?'

"Dead body?" I gasped, and spat up bits of porcupine. I began to panic. "What dead body?"

"For the party!" My friends said, as though I should have already known; silly me. "They dig them up for every body to see, then they burn them and smash them and bury them again."

It was then that I discovered that it wasn't a birthday that I had been invited to at all. It was a death anniversary... and more to the point, a second burial party.

Death, birth, burial, exhumation, and in a sense, resurrection, were at once events bound deeply together in the local Cham Vietnamese culture--as well as concepts my friends found particularly difficult to differentiate in translation. All of them however, seemed to be associated with parties, and since Birthday party is the most readily available vocabulary in English, its the term my friends chose to utilize!

One of the lessons learned hence is that sometimes 'adventuring it' and figuring things out as we go yields results we neither expect, nor forget.

Wellington Celebrates the World Premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with The Middle of Middle-earth Campaign

2012-10-08T08:38:00.000+07:00

In just over 50 days, Wellington will again be in the worldwide spotlight when it hosts the 28 November world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM).

To celebrate Wellington’s role as host of this much anticipated world premiere, Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says Wellington will be calling itself The Middle of Middle-earth during the week of the premiere.

“Wellington sits at the very heart of New Zealand’s innovative and thriving film industry,” says Mayor Wade-Brown.

“It’s also the city that has been integral in bringing the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien to life on the big screen. So for a week around the premiere Wellington will be known as The Middle of Middle-earth.”

The Middle of Middle-earth logo was designed by Daniel Reeve, an artist who worked on the cartography and calligraphy for The Hobbit Trilogy.

“I'm absolutely thrilled that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will have its world premiere in the Middle of Middle-earth,” says the film’s director Sir Peter Jackson.

“Nowhere else in the world does a premiere quite like Wellington, and I'm very grateful for the support of the Mayor, the Council and all Wellingtonians. It's special showing any film to an audience for the first time, but even more so when it's in your home town.”

Jackson will be joined by members of the film’s cast, as well as Hollywood stars and executives on the red carpet for the VIP invitation-only world premiere on the evening of 28 November.

“We’re delighted to take part in the Middle of Middle-earth festivities with this exciting premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington,” said Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures’ President, Worldwide Marketing. “It’s a unique opportunity to debut the film to the world in the country that has been the home of Middle-earth throughout production of the Trilogy.”

Stars and VIPs will walk more than 500 metres of red carpet from Reading Cinema to The Embassy Theatre, both of which will be screening the film for invited guests on premiere night. The event will be covered by press from around the world.

“Wellington has established a track record of holding stunning world-class red carpet premieres and we’re confident the city will turn it on again and show that we are indeed ‘the Coolest little Capital’ in the world,” says Mayor Wade-Brown.

“Preparation for The Hobbit premiere is a terrific opportunity to tell Wellington’s story too – the Coolest Little Capital where talent lives, works and does great business.”

Wellington City Council will contribute $1.1 million to the premiere week activities and towards ensuring Wellington is again looking its best under the international spotlight.

Celebrations and preparations for the World Premiere are already well underway, highlights include:

A ‘countdown clock’ to be installed on the front of the Embassy Theatre. The clock will count down the minutes to the beginning of the Premiere celebrations.
Stunning artwork inspired by The Hobbit Trilogy to welcome visitors at Wellington International Airport and across the city.
A Hobbit-inspired Artisan Festival in Waitangi Park showcasing the various craftspeople and talent involved in the making of The Hobbit Trilogy.
Outdoor, free public screenings of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy leading up to the premiere night event.

About The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

From Academy Award^®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar^®-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The international ensemble cast of the trilogy also includes (in alphabetical order) Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner.

The screenplay for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

Under Jackson’s direction, “The Hobbit” Trilogy has been shot in 3D 48 frames-per-second and will be released in High Frame Rate (HFR) 3D, other 3D formats, IMAX and 2D. Under Jackson’s direction, “The Hobbit” Trilogy has been shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Production has taken place at Jackson's own facilities in Miramar, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew are director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. The film is edited by Jabez Olssen. The costumes are designed by Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor and Bob Buck.

Taylor is also overseeing the design and production of weaponry, armour and prosthetics which are once again being made by the award-winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital take on the visual effects for the films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production will take place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the second and third films of the trilogy are productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released in New Zealand on December 13, 2012, with the second film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, releasing December 13, 2013, and the third film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again slated for July 18, 2014. www.hobbitmovies.co.uk

Dance of the Mythical Ky Lan at Phan Thiet's Nghinh Ong Festival

2012-09-06T10:35:00.001+07:00

The short video above is the grande finale of Phan Thiet's Nghinh Ong Festival (this year September 4-6); The Ky Lan Dance. The Ky Lan is a mythical Chinese creature described by Confucius. Also borrowed by the Vietnamese, the Ky Lan is a chimera incorporating parts of a deer, lion and other creatures, though here resembles more of a dragon. The creature is believed to only appear very rarely (if I'm not mistaken, just once in a century... or is it 1000 years?) and a bringer of very good fortune. Phan Thiet's Ky Lan requires about 25 people to operate and is the longest in Southeast Asia. Body segments, head, mouth, eyes and ears all move independently, and he even snorts smoke and confetti!

Dragon Dancing (Video) at Phan Thiet's Nghinh Ong Festival

2012-09-05T08:36:00.001+07:00

Dragon Dancing from Phan Thiet's Nghinh Ong Festival, held once every two years. The festival occurs this year September 4-6 and incorporates elements of ethnic Chinese culture and indigenous Vietnamese Whale-worship cults. The grand finale is a city-wide parade on the last day.

Snapshots from Star Wars Celebration VI (Part 3 of 3)

2012-09-05T08:19:00.002+07:00

A few last photos from last week's Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, Florida.

Dickey Beer, stunt man for the original Boba Fett in Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi.

Artist Jan Duursema, the talent behind the Dark Horse comic series 'Star Wars Legacy,' Quinlan Vos: Jedi in Darkness and other popular series.

Artist Dave Dorman, who among other things, created the cover for the new

Darth Maul comic that I'm holding.

A giant At-At in one of the lobbies. It was signed by George Lucas himself.

A life-size Boba Fett made from Lego.

A curious bartender at the show.

A little life-size piece of the Moon of Endor.

Looking for Star Wars Celebration photos to publish? Drop me a line.

Snapshots from Star Wars Celebration VI (Part 2 of 3)

2012-09-04T07:42:00.002+07:00

One of the best parts about attending Star Wars Celebration is meeting the actors and crew from the films, many of them childhood heroes (well, maybe adult-hood heroes too).

Warwick Davis and I. Warwick starred as an ewok in Return of the Jedi, had the leading role in Lucasfilm's Willow, and played many parts in the Harry Potter films, among other things. Warwick has long been a real hero for kids big and small.

Daniel Logan plays Boba Fett in The Clone Wars, and young Boba in Attack of the Clones. This guy doesn't sit still--watch him--he has a bright future ahead of him.

Ben Burtt, legendary sound editor for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, ET and many more treasured films. In my opinion he's just as good as meeting George Lucas himself (who did come to the event, but mostly stayed out of sight).

Anthony Daniels is a real super-trooper, coming out every morning to greet fans in line and walking around the exhibition hall for photo ops. Very gracious guy.

Jeremy Bulloch, the original Boba Fett from Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. A living legend.

Jabba the Hutt, who taught me everything I know.

An evening with Kevin Smith. He was hilarious--and very relatable, which made his humor all the more poignant. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo with Jabba or Kevin.

Stay tuned for part 3.

Snapshots from Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, Florida (Part 1 of 3)

2012-09-03T11:00:00.000+07:00

Star Wars Celebration VI was my first Star Wars convention, and first scifi convention for that matter, and I had a blast! Rather than tell you about it I think some photos from the event would be much more interesting. Below is my first of three photo posts:

Me with Matt Wood, Lucasfilm's sound guru and voice of my favorite cyborg villan,

General Grievous.

The cast of Clone Wars voices the exclusive radio drama, 'Smugglers' Gambit.'

Me with author Timothy Zahn (think 'Heir to the Empire') and father of the

'Star Wars Extended Universe.'

A coven of Night Sisters from the Clone Wars;

some of the many spectacular hand-made fan costumes.

A squadron of hand-made R2 droids.

All were fully-functional with lights, sounds, head-spinning and rolling action.

A spectacular life-size rancor.

A scary bunch of Sith Lords: more fantastic fan-made costumes.

Stay tuned for more...

Ian McDairmid, Sam Witwer, Episodes III & IV in 3D… and FOUR Star Wars TV shows!?...

2012-08-29T11:47:00.001+07:00

I attended Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando this weekend (I'll be mixing the worlds of entertainment and travel a lot through 2013, including covering the premier of The Hobbit in New Zealand). This was my first Star Wars convention and it gave all the attendees a bountiful supply of information on Lucasfilm’s upcoming film and tv projects.

First and foremost was the Season 5 premier of the 3D-animated television series, Clone Wars, which takes place between Episodes II and III of the film franchise.

The premier showed the last two episodes of Season IV, followed by the first of Season V, thus competing a three-episode story arc of the return of Darth Maul, who it turns out didn’t really die at the end of The Phantom Menace. The character, now voiced by Sam Witwer (Being Human), has brought intensified interest in the series from fans. Warning, SPOILER ALERT in the next paragraph:

Actor Sam Witwer, voicing a character in a 'radio drama'

created for the convention, titled 'Smuggler's Gambit.'

In Season V, Episode 1, we find Darth Maul and ‘brother’ Savage Opress haphazardly raising an army of pirates to take on Obi-wan Kenobi and the Jedi Order. Opress however doesn’t like Maul’s assertion of dominance and tests Maul, who puts Opress in his place and, as actor Sam Witwer explained, Maul would henceforth refer to Opress as ‘apprentice’ rather than ‘brother.’ In an early scene we see an appearance by a Kenner-style ‘Blue Snaggletooth’ character. Director David Filoni said that fans of the original action figure line will be happy to find other Kenner-style characters making appearances this season. The fighting in this episode was far more intense than in previous seasons, and the stakes much higher. Late in the episode Opress head-butts and kills a well-known jedi before Kenobi cuts off the left arm of Opress. Maul too loses a mechanical foot before the two barely escape. Filoni indicated it would be later in the season before we see Maul and Opress again. Likewise, he noted that while the night sisters have been diminished, they would return in force later on.

Following the premier was an extended new trailer for the season, featuring a Mandalorian civil war enflamed by Maul and Opress. Darth Sideous himself arrives to take on Maul and Opress in a light saber duel, reminding them that ‘there can only be two, and you [Maul] are no longer my apprentice.’ We see a darker Anakin, driven by jealousy and anger. Assage Ventress returns masked, though her new role unclear now that she has left the Sith. There were vague hints regarding the anticipated demise of Anakin’s Padawan Ahsoka. Indeed, Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, and Dave Filoni all indicated that the two had voiced top-secret scenes between Anakin and Ahsoka regarding her fate, which the other actors were not privy. Whether she is killed by Ventress (which could tie up the much-anticipated fate of both characters), or Maul, or Count Duku (which would go a long way in explaining Anakin’s new brutality in Revenge of the Sith), is yet to be revealed... or maybe she merely goes into hiding like Yoda?... not likely.

In other trailers we see Darth Maul wearing special red Mandalorian armour, as well as fighting green-skinned Falleen of the Black Sun (think Prince Xizor from Shadows of the Empire). This all happens in the midst of growing anti-Jedi sentiment within the republic. We see a battle on the planet Onderon and a female rebel leader, Steela, who features prominently in previews. Could she fill the niche left by a likely demise of Ahsoka?

Ian McDairmid, in his first US convention appearance.

Actor Ian Abercrombie, who voices Palpatine in Clone Wars, passed away earlier this year. When asked if Ian McDairmid would replace him, Dave Filoni declined to answer out of respect for Abercrombie, however he said that Abercrombie had voiced most of Season 5 already and that he would announce the replacement closer to the time new scenes are recorded.

Coincidentally (or perhaps not), McDairmid was asked by a fan if he would be voicing Palpatine in the hotly anticipated Star Wars live-action tv series tentatively titled ‘Underworld.’ McDairmid’s reply:

“What do you think?” he laughed, concluding “I would hate it if I was alive and someone else got the part.” This may suggest he is also open to resuming the part for the 3D animate Clone Wars. Though whether there will be a Sixth Season has not been announced.

However, McDairmid confirmed that ‘Star Wars Underworld’ had been shelved for the time being, do to overwhelming costs and time needed to produce the level of computer effects desired by George Lucas. According to sources connected with the series, as many as 50 scripts had already been written for the series, some casting had begun, and concept art had been approved by George Lucas.

In a separate screening announced for families, Lucasfilm showed a 3-episode story arc from Season 5 of Clone Wars, titled ‘Young Jedi,’ and cut as a short movie. It followed the training of a group of new padawans, including building their first light sabers, and eventually taking on the dreaded General Grievous.

Clone Wars Season 5 premiers September 29 on the Cartoon Network.

A new 3D animated, slap-stick comedy series entitled Star Wars: Detours was also announced by Seth Green and the team behind ‘Robot Chicken’ at the convention. The series features characters from the movies in whimsical forms and settings, reminding me of a cross between family guy, the Muppets and… Robot Chicken.

George Lucas himself made a surprise appearance at a morning panel with Dave Filoni. He talked about what appeared to be yet another Star Wars tv series in development and aimed at young children, which was neither Young Jedi, nor Star Wars: Detours. What exactly this series is remains to be seen.

The convention concluded with the announcement of the release of Episode II and Episode III in 3D for September and October 2013.

Day Two with Ghosts & Monster Hunters

2012-08-13T04:46:00.000+07:00

Below are more photos from my first paranormal conference, held this weekend at the Kewadin Casinos. It was a fun time and Kewadin was a cosy and welcoming setting. I loved the free gift bags for attendees too! I'd be happy to come back for future events at Kewadin any time.

Joshua Gates and Rex Williams had a fun Q&A looking back on their show, Destination Truth. The discussion included a horrifying paranormal experience involving their cameraman in Romania, Rex getting choked by a ghost in Thailand, and the whole group getting detained at a military border checkpoint in Senegal. I can sympathize with the last one, regarding my own experiences in Vietnam. Josh said his most amazing experience was spending the night alone in King Tut's tomb; something arranged by a rather amazing local Egyptian fixer.

Joshua Gate, Rex Williams and I.

You can order the Destination Truth DVDs and bookat Amazon.

'Paranormal Rockstar' Dustin Pari and Barry Fitzgerald of SyFy's Ghost Hunters International gave a funny and informative talk on their experiences with the show and discussed new discoveries and techniques in the field of ghost investigations. Particularly interesting were their comments on how different types of lighting/radiation seemed to disrupt and inhibit ghost activity, and how the foods we eat can disrupt or enhance our own senses, important in investigation of the supernatural.

Dustin Pari, Barry Fitzgerald and I. Dustin is no longer with the show, but does continue to do ghost hunting on the side, and doesn't seem to have ruled out a return to tv, in perhaps another form later on. He has also founded the Christian Patch Ministry. Dustin and Barry have a new book, 'So My Home is Haunted... Now What?' Get their previous book, 'The Complete Approach-The Scientific and Metaphysical Guide to The Paranormal' at Amazon.

Me with Amy Bruni (SyFy's Ghost Hunters) and Kris Williams (SyFy's Ghost Hunters International). Kris was involved in a bit of a controversy when she spoke out against an episode of GHI this season. A member of the team volunteered to participate in a Mayan Blood-letting ceremony to communicate with spirits at an ancient ruin in Belize. I appreciate that Kris spoke up and stood firm on her beliefs. Although my own experience with tv has been more limited, I understand what it's like as a writer when an editor changes my own words without informing me, and comes out making statements that I don't agree with--when my own name is the one on the story. Within travel media It's also bothered me when travel tv hosts set their beliefs aside to do things for ratings that would otherwise pose ethical, moral and even legal dilemas if they did the same activity in their home country.

Kris said that there's been no news about whether there will be a new season of Ghost Hunters International, but that she doesn't expect to continue with the show. I wish her well in whatever comes next. She's a talented lady with a good head on her shoulders and I'm sure she'll have a bright future. Best wishes to Amy too, who has a baby on the way!

You can order or download seasons of Ghost Hunterson Amazon.

Squeezing in Some Ghosts, UFOs and a Vietnamese Bigfoot

2012-08-11T11:32:00.000+07:00

Speaking of which... This weekend I happen to find myself at my first Paranormal Convention! I'll save most comments and stories for tomorrow's post, as bed-time is fast approaching, but I thought I should throw a few photos out from today's activities before I sign off.

John Zaffis from the SyFy Channel's 'Haunted Collector'

John's son, Chris Zaffis, also from SyFy Channel's 'Haunted Collector'

Travis Walton giving a presentation on his infamous UFO abduction experience

Author Travis Walton and I. Mr. Walton's book, 'Fire in the Sky' was made into a movie starring D B Sweeney, Robert Patrick and James Garner.

Amy Bruni from SyFy's 'Ghost Hunters' (with baby bump!)

The lovely Kris Williams from Syfy's 'Ghost Hunters International'

The ladies answered nearly 2 hours of questions, ranging from the role of women in ghost hunting, to working with celebrity guests, to a certain infamous episode this season.

Stay tuned for more details tomorrow, including appearances by Rex Williams and Joshua Gates from SyFy's 'Destination Truth' and Dustin Pari and Barry Fitzgerald from SyFy's 'Ghost Hunters' and 'Ghost Hunters International.' Joshua Gates was recently in Vietnam hunting for an elusive giant primate. We'll see if I can pry any behind-the-scenes info on that from him...

From Indiana Jones to Jedi and Hobbits

2012-08-05T06:15:00.002+07:00

Me in Hobbiton, earlier this year.

As if trekking through jungle mountains, visiting lost tribes, discovering ancient temples and searching for fabled antiquities in the wilds of Southeast Asia isn’t enough, I’ll now be moving on to adventures in time and space…

During August 23-26 I’ll be covering Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars Celebration VI.’ The event, hosted by the creators of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, is held every two years and is an opportunity to meet the original cast and crew from the movies and tv shows. It also is an opportunity for George Lucas to give sneak peaks at upcoming projects as well as address rumours of a new live-action tv series and spin-off Star Wars movies. The event will also host the premier of Clone Wars Season 5.

Attending the event will be Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2D2, Time Bandits), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine), Warwick Davis (Wicket, Willow, Harry Potter’s Professor Flitwick), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett from the original trilogy), Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett from the new trilogy and Clone Wars), Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett) and many more.

Then in November, it’s off to New Zealand again to cover the world premier of The Hobbit on the 28^th in Wellington. There will be a week-long festival in the nation’s capital, capped off with a massive, star-studded parade. I’ll be reporting on all the activities and the red-carpet event, as well as the filming of the recently-announced third Hobbit movie. Reprising roles from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy are Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) and many more.

View some of my previous articles on Middle Earth Tourism in New Zealand here:

http://www.jetstarmag.com/story/hobbit-hopping/1587/1/

http://blastr.com/2012/04/3-exclusive-sneak-peek-pi.php

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/life/hanging-out-hobbiton-539076

So stay tuned here for exclusives info and photos, and follow me on Twitter at: @fisheggtree. Media inquiries welcome.

The Carnivorous Plants of Bokor Mountain

2012-08-01T10:57:00.001+07:00

Earlier this month I visited Bokor Mountain, near Kampot, Cambodia. Below are select photos from the adventure.

A karst wetlands in the middle of the mountain. The limited soil in this limestone environment lacks necessary nutrients for most plant life to thrive, so the plants that grow here (such as carnivorous plants) have special adaptations that allow them to get their nutrients in unique ways. Though the particular species may be unique (even exclusive to this single location), the families of plants and general make-up of the ecosystem is much the same here in tropical Cambodia as it would be in a wetlands in North America. You could find similar (though different species) of carnivorous plants and orchids here as you would in Canada, for example.

Flowers in the wetlands.

A pitcher plant. The pitcher grow at the end of what otherwise look like normal leaves. The pitchers trap and digest insects and possibly other animals. The plants grow about 4.5 feet (1.5 meters) tall.

A different species of low-growing pitcher plants.

A tiny sundew entices ants and other insects with sweet droplets on its leaves, which stick to the prey and wrap around them. The plant then digests them.

Orchids are common in these sorts of wetlands.

A different species of sundew with tall stalks.

A giant millipede. He is curled up as a defense mechanism. When unravelled, he is nearly as long as my hand. Unlike predatory centipedes, millipedes (which mostly eat decaying plants and fungus) are relatively harmless, unless you try to eat them. In this case, they have a tendency to release cyanide...

For those that dreamed of chasing Matt Dillon with firearms through abandoned ruins on a misty mountain top, you might be disappointed that the filming location for City of Ghosts has been 'restored to its former casino glory.' There's actually a very cozy lobby cafe inside, and though rather pricey, the coffee and deserts are spectacular, and the free wifi rather handy. It make a good pit stop after a long, cold, wet drive up and around the mountain.

Is Cambodia's EV71 Outbreak Already Over-hyped?

2012-07-09T17:48:00.002+07:00

This week an outbreak of EV71--allegedly a new strain of the virus which causes Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, was announced here in Phnom Penh. The virus apparently kills most children who catch it, within just 24hrs of being checked into local hospitals. But is this a brand new, mysterious pandemic, with no known cure, set to wipe out children across the world? Or is this merely the latest chapter in the epidemic that has gone on in neighboring Vietnam for more than a year, with relatively few fatalities compared to other more common illnesses like Dengue and Malaria? Dr. Beat Richner of Kantha Bopha hospitals thinks WHO has hyped the illness, but now that foreign journalists are flocking to Cambodia, we'll be hearing about EV71 all-day and every-day whether it is really news or not...

The Thousand-Year Gates of Sichuan, China

2012-07-08T18:07:00.004+07:00

Below are some photos of old city gates I took in Langzhong, Sichuan Province, China. The gates were said to be a thousand years old. Each gate was part of a series of half-a-dozen in a row, spread in several groups around the city. I presume the wall that must have accompanied such gates would have been massive--though it no longer exists today. These are just one of many ancient treasures to be found off-the-beaten-path in the Chinese countryside.

A series of gates weaving through old village homes along a cobblestone street.

One of the many gate guardians, in various states of decay.

The gates were covered in old Chinese script, carved into the stone.

View my posts (with photos) from Tiger Leaping Gorge in nearby Yunnan Province, China too!

China Beach: Vietnam’s Freedom Fries

2012-07-02T15:52:00.000+07:00

China Beach, overlooking Monkey Mountain and the South China Sea

Every time Vietnam has a new spat with China, whether it’s ‘illegal’ Chinese miners digging up bauxite in the Central Highlands, another Vietnamese fishing boat getting bitch-slapped in the South Chinese Sea, or Hanoi-sponsored stories of tricksy little Chinese hobbitses selling poison apples and bags of false gold, the Vietnamese public (at the gleeful prodding of Hanoi), goes around trying to rid themselves of all reminders of their wicked neighbour to the north (ignoring the fact that much of their national religion, language, food, music and art derives directly from China, and that ethnic Vietnamese themselves were once one of many southern-Chinese hill tribes).

One of the most obnoxious thorns that the Vietnamese never seem to be able to rid themselves of is ‘China Beach’ in Danang.

Nobody seems to know exactly when and why the name came about. Vietnamese insist the correct name is ‘Non Nuoc.’ US servicemen once based in Danang told me that the name ‘China Beach’ was in use before their arrival. I myself have looked at dozens of old maps, and while every beach to the north or south of Danang seems to have a designation, this glorious beach in Danang is the only one who’s name does not appear on any map.

The government has tried everything to uproot the scourge of China’s name on the beach, from various threats to fines to hauling local business owners in for questioning if they dare to hang a sign labelled ‘China Beach.’

Yet, due perhaps to the popularity of the old TV show by the same name, the desire of local tourism operators to latch onto that valuable name recognition, and pesky guidebook writers, like me, who make sure to drop that little name in absolutely everything they write, the government just can’t seem to wipe ‘China’ off the map.

I can hardly blame the government for throwing its hissy fit. It was kind of nasty of China to try to sell Vietnamese territory to oil companies this week. And of course Vietnam isn’t the only one to throw a temper tantrum when other countries don’t play fair. Much like Vietnam, we in the US decided to rename ‘French Fries’ to ‘Freedom Fries’ about 10 years ago when France wasn’t very supportive of our military plans.

I was however, struck by a bit of hypocrisy from Thanh Nien Newspaper in a story today, where they proclaimed:

“Beautiful beaches in the central city of Da Nang are being officially called by a name nonsensically imposed on us by US soldiers who invaded our country.
What’s worse, the misnomer makes it seem as if this beautiful coastline isn’t even ours: China Beach.”

Particularly ironic was the fact that the photo they used wasn’t even China Beach—it looks like its actually a stretch to the north near Hai Van Pass.

A bit of a local secret, a shrine sits at the ruins of Thap Lieu Cuc (seen here only as shadows behind and to the right, in the trees), an ancient Cham temple. The temple is located not far behind the Royal Citadel in Hue, but few know of its existence. Perhaps this is because it is evidence supporting the likelihood that Hue's Citadel was built upon a Cham city.

You see, Vietnamese conveniently forget a little history. A certain kingdom by the name of Champa has been occupied by a certain foreign country by the name of Vietnam, which has slowly devoured it under an occupation of 500-1000 years. The Cham people, who have their own distinct language, have had to live under not just one imposed beach name, but hundreds, perhaps thousands, of place names imposed on them by their Vietnamese occupiers.

Particularly in the provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa (the provinces of Panduranga and Kathura in the Cham language), the Cham people still actively use the original Cham names for their cities, villages, rivers, mountains and beaches.

So Vietnam, I have some sympathy for your ‘China Beach thing,’ but when you are ready to re-assign the original and correct name of ‘Indrapura’ to the very recent ‘Danang,’ maybe I’ll be more ready to listen to your self-interested fussing.

At least be glad that there isn't a 'Saigon Beach.' It would have been a shame if evil Communist invaders from the north came down and re-named that after themselves too.

Chimp Attacks: My Thoughts From Working With Chimpanzees

2012-07-01T14:00:00.000+07:00

Sadly this week yet another case of a chimpanzee attacking someone has been reported in the news. This week it was Texas grad student, Andrew Oberle, working at the Jane Goodall Institute's Chimp Eden (apparently the place has its own TV show from what I've heard). I sympathize with Andrew and his family and wish him well.

I spent a couple of years working with Chimps myself, both with common chimpanzees at the Primate Foundation of Arizona (now closed) and bonobo chimpanzees at the Language Research Center (now under another name and relocated in Iowa).

From my work with chimps I learned that they (at least the common chimps) are not mean-spirited monsters bent on hurting humans. However they are mischievous, and by nature are easily swept up in powerful emotions which can lead them to do things--sometimes very violent things--that they may regret later. They are, after all, wild animals.

Thus it was common, though I had a very strong, loving bond with my nearly 80 chimpanzee wards, to have them grab and scratch me--at times rather aggressively. One coworker, on my day off, was even pinned against a cage by a couple of chimps that grabber her, and had a portion of her finger bitten off. If I'm not mistaken, my supervisor had a portion of her finger bitten off before I began working there as well. I was very fortunate to have never received any injuries.

The one thing about common chimpanzees though, is that they are bad liars. Common chimps wear their emotions on their shirtsleeves quite literally. Their mental and emotional state and their intentions can be easily read by their body language, their posturing, the way their hair bristles, their hand and eye motions and their vocalizations--one only needs the training and experience to read them. The problem comes in when we, apparently as Mr Oberle found, do not pay attention to these signs. This is particularly a danger when we ignore safety protocols designed to protect us against human error...

All this being said, I had a very different experience working with bonobo chimpanzees and the likes of Kanzi (a chimpanzee celebrity often featured in National Geographic, Time Magazine, the Discovery Channel and dozens of renowned newspapers). At the Language Research Center I worked under the infamous Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and her star-studded gaggle of linguistically-gifted bonobos.

I found bonobos (also known as pygmy chimpanzees), unlike common chimps, to in fact be very good liars, and at times devious. These intelligent little beasts have the ability to mask their emotions--and to convey a false mental state in order to deceive--and at times severely harm--those around them.

I did not witness any attacks at LRC myself (though I was scratched and grabbed constantly). However, on my day off, Kanzi escaped his cage and attacked one of the researchers at LRC, biting his groin and shoulder badly, and severing his finger from the knuckle.

The stories I was told by staff--of things that happened before I began working at LRC--were much worse. I was told that the bonobos had a long history of escaping and not only wandering the center grounds, but also the adjacent residential neighborhood on at least one occasion. I was also told that the bonobo chimps had mauled several people, including the maid and another researcher, and causing severe, long-term injury. Again I did not witness these attacks, but it was what I was told by my manager and grad students at the center.

The moral of the story is simple. Regardless of how incredibly intelligent and special chimpanzees are, they remain very dangerous wild animals. Great caution must be used in their care, and they should never be kept as mere pets. Those that wish to work with them must be made aware of the significant risks and take necessary precautions at all times.

Photo of the Day: Skipper's Canyon, New Zealand

2012-06-30T14:26:00.000+07:00

Skipper's Canyon with Nomad Safaris on my recent trip to Queenstown, New Zealand. The trip makes a great half-day adventure through one of New Zealand's most scenic drives. You can catch a few Lord of the Rings film locations along the way too.

Photo of the Day: High With Pandas

2012-06-29T17:14:00.002+07:00

A panda chills out up in the mountains at the Chengdu Panda Base, a breeding facility for the endangered animals in south-central China. The facility is a tourist attraction (as well as scientific conservation facility) and open to the public. Unfortunately a quarantine was in place so no panda-hugging or other mammal-fondling photo-ops were allowed while I was there. The Panda Base can be visited on a day-trip from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, China. Be sure to also read my posts from Tiger Leaping Gorge in nearby Yunnan Province, China.