Show C14 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday July 21 2002 EmvoiMjmmeirottailosfts HONG KONG (AP) — Chanting and cheering hundreds of Buddhists sent the fish on a swim for freedom putting them onto a pair of stainless steel slides that dropped off the side of a ferry into the South China Sea Followers of Buddhism are to save any trapped animal — and the Chinese have adopted the practice and made a tradition of buying then freeing fish birds and turtles in the belief it can bring good fortune Despite the good intentions of everybody on the ferry and thousands of fish going down the slides not many got very far Some stopped flipping almost immediately and for those that started swimming fishermen were waiting nearduty-bou- according to conservationists who say the nature lovers are effectively killing the animals with misplaced kindness ‘‘They don’t know about the animals they don’t know about the environment so they are playing with van- ables that just aren’t understood" said Paul Crow a zoologist at the Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden research institute here The animals can spread disease and jurasites picked up in captivity and some threaten biodiversity as alien species are thrust into new habitats Some end up where they nd Chuk-kwo- Freshwater turtles have been seen scrambling toward the seashore for safety after benevolent souls mistakenly thought they came from the sea said So Ping-ma- n a senior conservation officer at the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department The salt water blinds and kills them by nets in place As far as environmentalists are concemed the fish that do get away are a potential problem Their ceremonial release creates ecological hazards deary Freshwater fish dropped into the sea are similarly doomed Many local religious leaden shrug off the criticism saying they know how to frequently and safely release animals mat will thrive in nature ' “We seldom come across animals that are unfit for die environment since such creatures either can’t be imported or they die once they've arrived here" said die Venerable Kok Kwong president of die Hong Kong Buddhist Association “Birds that can fly are basically healthy” said Lai a construction site foreman and Buddhist temple member “Those who say releasing birds can cause illness are worrying too much"' Many claim their lives improve after freeing the animals “My son got healthier’' housewife said Winnie Kwan who brought Ian to help slide red can't survive 4' 1 ng ISonoOdlDDDS piracGS®© it 'Mf ' I “I do it whenever and wherever I wish to” Lee said after picking up a cage of six spar- rows fiom a locu bird maricet apparently without realizing two were already dead Sparrows are plentiful ' around Hong Kong and no one keeps item as pets So dealers capture them just to sell them to people who want to release than Just about every bird market stall has a sign touting die cheapest option for release — a sparrow or a munia costing five Hong ' Kong dollars (64 US cents) But many die being cap- hired or transported or in the crowded local bird markets said Ng Cho-napresident of The Conservancy Association Bird store owner Johnny Wong acknowledged sparrows Japanese white-eye- s and d munias are recaptured by traders soon after their release then sold again at a discount snappers star snappers and groupers into die sea The Buddhists say birds and fish can find their way home even as far away as Indonesia Malaysia northern China and South America ' Conservationists doubt it although they acknowledge it’s hard to quantify any environmental damage No specific studies have been done So said But invasive North American turtles and bullfrogs have become established hoe and now defeat indigenous species for food and space the World Wide Fund For Nature said Some Chinese celebrate birthdays by freeing one goldfish or songbird for every year they’ve lived Fishmonger Lee Ngan-ng50 always lets carp off the hook because its Chinese name is pronounced die same as her surname Buddhist Nancy Lee says there’s no problem in releasing birds : white-back- SdmecustomengoaUout freeing magpie robins and foreign cockatoos costing more than $1280 each A The recent Buddhist boat f outing netted $3974 for businessman Cheng Sui-siwho supplied the fish But environmentalists contend Hong Kong should establish rules — there are now none to bring the animal releasers under control The government conserve tion officer So said any workable regulations srould be tricky to write and hard to enforce Officials call informal communication of sound guidelines the better approach Zoologist Crow disagrees "They’ve always done it so they always will until some- body puts a foot down” Crow said “In most first world countries they’ve learned from experience and serious problems that you cannot afford to allow the public just to go dumping animals into die wild” ng ‘ ed m or white-backe- Today's smaller homes need proportionate furniture ' - According to a recent study conducted by the American Furniture Manufacturers Association 87 percent of Americans describe the size of their home as small or medi- um and more than 30 percent say they have small rooms in their homes “Today’s smaller homes present interesting furnishing challenges and opportunities” AFMA Vice President Jackie Hinchhaut was quoted as say- -' ing in a press release “Amer-icans cherish their cozy homes and fortunately the right furniture can create beautiful and functional space” AFMA’s reserach revealed the top priorities of those fur- nishing and decorating small- er homes percent of con- sumers surveyed named com- fort as their No 1 priority when it conies to furniture for their small homes or space with men and women in agreement on this issue “Americans are taking steps to create comfort zones in a way that the home furnishings industry has not seen in some time” Hirschaut said “With this reinvigorated interest in the home as a place of refuge many of today’s collections meet the demand for both comfort and fuction to help consumers solve their decorat- ing dilemmas” Product size registered as the second-moimportant issue for furniture in small 'spaces Furniture manufactur- ers understand the constraints Thirty-eig- ht storage space was their biggest challenge in living in a small home The solution: pieces that serve more than one fuction like a coffee table that provides storage or book-shelves within it Comer cup- boards blanket chests ze large-scre- ‘ ' st ' of smaller spaces and have responded with an array of products for every size home and room according to the release For example sofas are often available in varying lengths and loveseats provide an alternative to a full-sisofa Many entertainment cen-ters are sold as separate units so consumers can choose the pieces that best fit their space and corner units are now available to accommodate TVs without con- a suming significant amount of room space ' As the American family continues to collect keep and inherit the need for storage gows particularly in a space- challenged environment Forty-tw- o percent of die respondents said that lack of " armours and curio cabinets are all excellent choices for consumers in search of stor- furniture the release reads Many beds also offer storage Americans’ love affair with the television requires an age-frien- ' attractive yet appropriate place to house this often used and sometimes awkward-tq- place product Almost a quar- ter of the survey respondents said that an entertainment cenr ter makes the best use of their space en OBEX 'ik' We provide mobile service lob July is summertime time for outdoor fun and vacations trying to stay cool in the heat and now n k Time for At Lynn's Audio & Video r July is Savings Time Huge Savings Now thru July 31st Give us a call tor Kade Walker a tree estimate We've slashed prices on BIG screens Home Theatre Systems TVs Car Stereos Boomboxes Camcorders and many more Hems throughout the store or 7700308 258-437- 1 k ’ Come in and see fair yourself Why Buy in The only thing hotter (bans Hie temperature outside are the prices and deals insidel f ' V6 in Ncw$149-9- i- i - 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