LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

[January 3rd, 2007] WHILE VISIONS OF BANANAS DANCED IN THEIR HEADS

I was saddened and frustrated by your Dec. 13 [It List] coverage of the Oregon Zoo's Presents for Primates enrichment activity. As senior primate keeper at the zoo, I'm compelled to speak out against your flippant coverage of an enrichment activity that volunteers and staff worked on to help bring enjoyment to the animals.

Every day we work hard to find novel ways to mentally or physically engage the animals. The seasonal gifts took hours to put together, yet seeing the animals' joyful response made it all worthwhile—their excitement is akin to that of children opening presents.

Even your chimp photograph sent the wrong message—that it's OK to exploit these critically endangered animals for entertainment. Keeping primates for entertainment is against our standards of humane care because it damages the animals' social development, and it creates "disposable" adults.

As an example, years ago we accepted a 6-year-old circus chimpanzee into our young family group. It took several months for her to accept that she was a chimpanzee and not a human being. The other chimps also had to accept her as one of their own. Going through this was traumatic for her and for everyone else. To this day she still has human mannerisms.

Finally, I have been very blessed to be a part of the zoo's chimpanzees' lives for over 30 years. Others have also dedicated their lives to these important animals. The volunteers and staff deserve more than ridicule for their efforts to enrich the lives of chimps and the other animals. I know I speak for many at the Oregon Zoo that we take the care of these animals very seriously. We would hope that Willamette Week would rise above ridicule and mockery.

David Thomas
Senior Primate Keeper
Oregon Zoo

SKIP THE EASY LAYUP

Look. I know it's a good headline, and the story practically writes itself, in regards to the Portland School Board voting to limit transfers at Lincoln High School: "Rich Whiteys Keep Minorities Out of their School!"

But to create a story about how this will impact Lincoln SPORTS ["Transfer of Power," WW, Dec. 13, 2006]??? Gimme a break! If you break down that story, it's pretty stereotypical and somewhat racist in its implications: "Rich Whiteys Can't Win without Black Superstars!"

First of all, the limit of transfers is about one thing and one thing only: to allow Lincoln's neighborhood kids to attend their neighborhood school. Period. As you noted, the school is busting at the seams while other neighborhood high schools have unused capacity. It just makes common sense. And changing the boundary would simply transfer the over-crowding issue to Wilson.

But the whole sports angle is a farce and a stretch, at best. Out of the 1,500-plus students, less than a handful are transfers who are real impact players in any sport. Most transfer to Lincoln for academic programs. Further, if you polled most of the Lincoln parents, I'm sure most would show little interest in the impact that this decision will have on sports, if any. In fact, most would welcome the diversity of students...so long as there's room for their OWN kids to attend their neighborhood high school.

I have two children who (hopefully) will attend Lincoln, our neighborhood school. They both play sports. I'll take my chances on having mediocre sports programs by limiting transfers, thank you very much. And just so you know that I'm not a West Hills Blue Blood, I attended Madison High School in the late '70s. I'm pretty familiar with diversity. And welcome it.

So please, spare me the rhetoric of discrimination among the "affluent West Hills residents." Quit trying to force a story where there is none. If anything, your sports spin on the issue is insulting to all parties mentioned.

Michael Kiriazis
Southwest 57th Avenue