Bits and Bites from Around the World > Mexican Mayor Marries Alligator; Starving Lions Eat their own Tail; Frogs Married in India

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Mexican mayor marries an alligator, in century-old ritual

to pray for abundance

‘Alligator bride’ is believed to be a deity representing mother earth

Published:  July 01, 2022 12:19

Reuters

  

Image Credit: YouTube screen grab

Mexico: A small town Mexican mayor married his alligator bride in a colorful ceremony as traditional music rang out and revelers danced while imploring the indigenous leader to seal the nuptials with a kiss.

San Pedro Huamelula Mayor Victor Hugo Sosa obliged more than once during Thursday's wedding, bending down to plant his lips on the small alligator's snout, which had been tied shut presumably to avoid unwanted biting.

The ritual marriage likely dates back centuries to pre-Hispanic times among Oaxaca state's Chontal and Huave indigenous communities, like a prayer pleading for nature's bounty.

"We ask nature for enough rain, for enough food, that we have fish in the river," said Sosa, mayor of the small fishing village on Oaxaca's steamy Pacific coast. Oaxaca, located in Mexico's poor south, is arguably the country's richest in indigenous culture and home to many groups that have stubbornly maintained their languages and traditions.

Oaxaca, located in Mexico's poor south, is arguably the country's richest in indigenous culture and home to many groups that have stubbornly maintained their languages and traditions.

The age-old ritual in San Pedro Huamelula, now mixed with Catholic spirituality, involves dressing the alligator or caiman in a white wedding dress plus other colorful garments.

The seven-year-old reptile, referred to as a little princess, is believed to be a deity representing mother earth, and her marriage to the local leader symbolizes the joining of humans with the divine. As trumpets blared and drums provided a festive beat, locals carried the alligator bride in their arms through village streets as men fanned it with their hats.

"It gives me so much happiness and makes me proud of my roots," said Elia Edith Aguilar, known as the godmother who organized the wedding. She said that she feels privileged to be entrusted with carrying out the ceremony, and noted she spent a lot of time fretting over what the bride would wear.

"It's a very beautiful tradition," she added with a smile.

Yeah, the bride is just lovely!

San Pedro Huamelula, MX

Horror as starving lions forced to eat their own TAILS at zoo

where ‘remains of hundreds of big cats found’

Olivia Burke

18:06, 9 Jul 2022

A PRIDE of starving lions were forced to eat their own TAILS at a horror zoo where they were kept in torturous conditions.

Footage of the gaunt animals at the Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation in Tlalpan, Mexico City, has sparked international outrage.

The lions at the Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation resorted to chewing their own tails

Animals at the hellish zoo were so weak they could barely stand

The remains of hundreds of big cats have also allegedly been discovered dumped in a mass grave at the disgraced wildlife refuge.

The majestic creatures were seen looking frail and depressed as they forlornly paced around their cramped metal cages.

Mexican actor Arturo Islas Allende, 35, helped publicise the untold agony of the lions, branding their treatment "a holocaust".

He also accused the owner of the foundation, Eduardo Mauricio Moises Serio, of illegally selling and breeding lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard cubs.

Harrowing video shows the emaciated lions collapsing in their small cages in the blistering heat, while others sport agonising sores over their bodies.

The constant lack of food and nutrition has saw some of the animals gnaw at their own tails in sheer desperation.

A former employee at the hellish zoo, activist Yael Ruiz, first reported the foundation to the authorities after working there for two years.

She says the big cats began eating their tails "out of anxiety" after being forced to live in monstrous conditions.

Arturo complained he just "doesn't understand how for so long, no one has done anything" to put a stop to the suffering of the animals.

He said: "The place is now under the control of the authorities, the owner is a fugitive from justice, he has not appeared anywhere.

"We have just had a meeting with the Mexico City authorities so veterinarians can start rescuing the emaciated animals. The foundation did not have the correct papers or legal permits, the reality is it was completely clandestine."

Horrified inspectors have since reportedly found pits with what they believe are the bones and remains of more than 200 big cats.

Arturo continued: "There are pits with the bones of buried animals.

"The foundation said they had 400 felines, yesterday a count was carried out with the authorities and only between 180 and 190 are accounted for, less than half of them."

There are pits with the bones of buried animals.

Arturo Islas Allende

The actor also claimed that employees have not been paid for months before the evil owner scarpered.

He added: "The owner also did not pay the rent and has outstanding bills of around MXN 1 million (£40,612).

"The foundation received millions of dollars in donations that did not reach the animals and is linked to tax evasion.

"The breeding of cubs was ongoing.

"The reality is, the foundation placed animals in the hands of buyers and, over time, they became a problem for the customers and we (were?) sent back to the same cages."

Animal rights groups have slammed the horrific treatment of the lions at the Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation.

The refuge, which ironically claims to rescue animals from harsh conditions at breeding centres and circuses, has been reported to the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA).

One animal rights group - AZCARM - accused the foundation owner of "abandoning and mistreating hundreds of big cats".

The surviving lions will undergo a medical evaluation and are expected to be rehomed at other zoos in the Mexican capital.

The investigation continues.

India: Frogs married in Gorakhpur to appease rain god

The 'wedding' was held on Tuesday night with all rituals

Published:  July 20, 2022 07:47

IANS

  

The people at the wedding had a tough time keeping the frog couple in place

Image Credit: Twitter@ANI

Gorakhpur: A group of people organised a wedding of frogs to appease the rain god, Lord Indra.

The 'wedding' was held on Tuesday night with all rituals.

Radhakant Verma, who organised the event, said, "It is a time-tested belief that frog weddings are held to bring in rains. We have had a long dry spell and farmers, in particular, are upset over the delay in sowing paddy."

The people at the wedding had a tough time keeping the frog couple in place and scores of people witnessed the event when all mantras and shlokas were chanted by a group of priests.

The guests were later treated to dinner by the organisers.

International Justice Mission Assists in Rescuing 155 Slaves

SLAVERY RESCUE REVEALS STENCH IN INDIA’S INCENSE INDUSTRY

International Justice Mission
www.ijm.ca/blogs/
IJM Site Administrator
BANGALORE, INDIA, 

One-hundred-and-fifty-five people who were held as forced labour slaves in incense factories for up to three years are now free. Families were separated and trafficked from as far away as Nepal, and they were kept under 24-hour surveillance with guard dogs at night.

"We suffered here worse than convicts in jail,” a 21-year-old labourer from the northeastern state of Assam said. "When I arrived here the owner took away my phone and wallet. He kept telling us that he will pay us before we leave to Assam. But when I told him I want to leave, he beat me up and threatened me. I have not stepped out or been in touch with my family since I came here. I have been waiting to somehow escape but there was no way.”

One Rescue Leads to the Next

The back-to-back rescue operations on May 28 began when IJM received a call from a police officer, a Sub Inspector of Bangalore Urban. The officer had been trained by IJM on forced labour slavery, and he called IJM for technical assistance with a planned operation at one incense factory. IJM mobilized a team to meet the police and local officials at the factory right away.

After the rescue, each man shared about a harsh life of slavery and imprisonment. The 107 laborers were trafficked more than 800 miles to Bangalore from Nepal and far away states including Assam, Jharkhand and West Bengal. They were forced to work seven days a week from 6am until 2am, some having to handle dangerous chemicals. The labourers also reported physical abuse by the owner, and were prohibited from leaving the factory even when in need of medical attention. All 107 people shared a single room with one toilet.

As the man shared about the harsh conditions in the factory, two said their brothers were being held in a similar factory in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Miraculously, there were two IJM social workers close to this exact location in Tamil Nadu. IJM worked quickly to inform the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit and local officials, and by 7:30pm were ready to attempt the rescue.

A Discovery in the Dark

A power cut in the village meant it was pitch dark, and the rescue team struggled to locate the factory. When they finally arrived, it appeared deserted. But half-eaten food still warm on the plates suggested the slaves had been rushed away in a hurry. It seemed that the factory owners knew rescue was on its way.

"As we searched the facility I was totally flabbergasted, shocked, amazed. There was no electricity; the room was pitch dark. I was using the flashlight on my phone, searching the factory but finding nothing. Eventually, in one of the smaller rooms, I saw a bunch of people crammed together in the dark,” said Sam George, IJM Director of Aftercare.

"As I spoke to them, Praisey, our social worker, yelled to me from another room, "Sam! You need to see this!" I rushed to where she was and was shocked again. Using my phone light through the doorway all I could see was hundreds of eyes—like little animals in the dark—reflecting back at me. I was so confused. As my eyes adjusted I realized they were people!”

Forty-eight forced labourers were rescued from this second factory in Tamil Nadu and are expected to return home in the coming days.

Meanwhile in Bangalore, the IJM team focused on aftercare for the labourers. The 107 labourers have received release certificates from the government that ensure their freedom. They will return home next week.

The case against the suspects continues. The owner of the Bangalore incense factory was arrested, along with one trafficker and three employees. All are being held in custody under Indian Penal Code section 370 and the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act.

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