Mexican Riviera Wonder 2/13 (Long and Detailed)

[skylynx]

Oh, how funny! As I told you, I wrapped laundry all around the spikes of our star. It was slightly out of whack when we got home, but luckily the tin bends back easily. I love it, and can't wait to get more of them so our whole porch ceiling will make a constellation!

Glad you made it home safely with yours!

 

[Diamondback01]

Must say I would agree that any animal abuse would be horrible. But, maybe they take good care of these animals? I mean really, do you like the idea of these wild lions or tigers being held in a small pin in a zoo? Even larger zoos that have bigger enclosures. I'm sure it is still quite confining for the animals.

 

[QuiltTeddy]

WOW! Thank you for sharing such a detailed report of your trip. It certainly gave me a lot of information (we leave 04/03/11) and also set aside some of the "fears" that people try to generate when we say we are heading to the Mexican Riveria for a cruise.

After reading your report, we are even more excited to go!

Thank you!!

 

[K8T]

Fascinating Trip Report. We had thought about doing the MR, but decided on the Med. this year, as no long flight.

As for the Tigers, I am sorry, I can't believe that people on the boards are so naieve to believe that these are well cared for tiger cubs, whose owners have their best interests at heart!!!

These animals have been taken from their mothers, put in totally unrealistic, conditions and being passed from person to person for long periods of times, not even thinking about what risk to the cubs from disease, or what this kind of thing is doing to them mentally. Wild animals should be in a suitable environment, which is not a small cage in a busy area! The cubs are very often declawed (I won't go into details on how this is carried out) and very often drugged. At 6 months of age they will probably be killed as they will become too large to handle and who wants a fully grown tiger that not only eats a lot but is also likely to be aggressive.

In natural conditions (and in a good zoo), tiger cubs will stay with their mother until they are at least a year old, sometimes older, although males are often moved around one to two years, as at this age as they need to form their own groups.

I have been involved with WSPA working with animals in Turkey and it is exactly this sort of thing that we are fighting hard to eradicate. I wouldn't expect puppies to be subjected to this sort of handling, let alone a wild animal.

The IFAW, WSPA and other organisations are trying hard to stop this sort of activity on Cabo, but it is increasingly difficult.

Please do not support this trade, walk by, ask questions even say loudly nearby that this is a scam so others will hear and not take part, also let your children know what to expect and explain about this terrible trade. Also, take time to consider where these cubs have come from, Tigers are not indigenous to Mexico, they are imported, usually from China.

Please look at the following link: Born Free Foundation

I could also go into the disease that these unvaccinated, unwormed cubs may pass on to humans, but I am more concerned about what they are being subjected to than the risks to us.

Sorry, rant over, but it is better to be informed!!

Kate

 

[tjcamtc]

Fascinating Trip Report. We had thought about doing the MR, but decided on the Med. this year, as no long flight.

As for the Tigers, I am sorry, I can't believe that people on the boards are so naieve to believe that these are well cared for tiger cubs, whose owners have their best interests at heart!!!

These animals have been taken from their mothers, put in totally unrealistic, conditions and being passed from person to person for long periods of times, not even thinking about what risk to the cubs from disease, or what this kind of thing is doing to them mentally. Wild animals should be in a suitable environment, which is not a small cage in a busy area! The cubs are very often declawed (I won't go into details on how this is carried out) and very often drugged. At 6 months of age they will probably be killed as they will become too large to handle and who wants a fully grown tiger that not only eats a lot but is also likely to be aggressive.

In natural conditions (and in a good zoo), tiger cubs will stay with their mother until they are at least a year old, sometimes older, although males are often moved around one to two years, as at this age as they need to form their own groups.

I have been involved with WSPA working with animals in Turkey and it is exactly this sort of thing that we are fighting hard to eradicate. I wouldn't expect puppies to be subjected to this sort of handling, let alone a wild animal.

The IFAW, WSPA and other organisations are trying hard to stop this sort of activity on Cabo, but it is increasingly difficult.

Please do not support this trade, walk by, ask questions even say loudly nearby that this is a scam so others will hear and not take part, also let your children know what to expect and explain about this terrible trade. Also, take time to consider where these cubs have come from, Tigers are not indigenous to Mexico, they are imported, usually from China.

Please look at the following link: Born Free Foundation

I could also go into the disease that these unvaccinated, unwormed cubs may pass on to humans, but I am more concerned about what they are being subjected to than the risks to us.

Sorry, rant over, but it is better to be informed!!

Kate

Kate,

Thank you!

 

[K8T]

I think it is important that people understand the implications of handing their dollars over to these people, it just perpetuates the trade.

I think I will post it on the main boards, just so people know.

 

[moomy-san]

We were on the cruise that returned the day you left... reading your trip report makes me want to high-tail it back to the ship!! Looks like you had a wonderful time!

 

[Griffith6]

I enjoyed reading your report. We live in South Orange County (CA) and are flying back to FL in Aprl for the Eastern route on DCL (2nd cruise for our family). We have been talking about booking MR when on our cruise next month but seriously have hesitations about being disappointed that MR is not as good as Caribbean - biggest negative is no Castaway Cay! But we have a family of 6 (need 2 cabins) and the rates are much lower for MR versus Caribbean AND no airfare for us.

What other DISer feedback do others have to sell me on MR?

 

[disneywondergirl22]

Actually, the cubs have multiple locations along the pier, and at least one additional location not immediately on the pier. So I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they get rotated out for rests and breaks; they may have just ended up in a different hut that next day. I have experienced this type of activity in foreign zoos, where at the very least, you know you are paying a zoo (I guess due to animal rights that we have in America, we don’t offer this kind of activity in our zoos). Even if that money doesn’t go directly to the animals, it goes to pay something at the zoo, which doesn’t seem as …random… as some kids (which is what many appear to be) running huts in heavy tourist areas with a mystery “conservation fund” or something behind it.

 

[Purplejewel]

Fascinating Trip Report. We had thought about doing the MR, but decided on the Med. this year, as no long flight.

As for the Tigers, I am sorry, I can't believe that people on the boards are so naieve to believe that these are well cared for tiger cubs, whose owners have their best interests at heart!!!

These animals have been taken from their mothers, put in totally unrealistic, conditions and being passed from person to person for long periods of times, not even thinking about what risk to the cubs from disease, or what this kind of thing is doing to them mentally. Wild animals should be in a suitable environment, which is not a small cage in a busy area! The cubs are very often declawed (I won't go into details on how this is carried out) and very often drugged. At 6 months of age they will probably be killed as they will become too large to handle and who wants a fully grown tiger that not only eats a lot but is also likely to be aggressive.

In natural conditions (and in a good zoo), tiger cubs will stay with their mother until they are at least a year old, sometimes older, although males are often moved around one to two years, as at this age as they need to form their own groups.

I have been involved with WSPA working with animals in Turkey and it is exactly this sort of thing that we are fighting hard to eradicate. I wouldn't expect puppies to be subjected to this sort of handling, let alone a wild animal.

The IFAW, WSPA and other organisations are trying hard to stop this sort of activity on Cabo, but it is increasingly difficult.

Please do not support this trade, walk by, ask questions even say loudly nearby that this is a scam so others will hear and not take part, also let your children know what to expect and explain about this terrible trade. Also, take time to consider where these cubs have come from, Tigers are not indigenous to Mexico, they are imported, usually from China.

Please look at the following link: Born Free Foundation

I could also go into the disease that these unvaccinated, unwormed cubs may pass on to humans, but I am more concerned about what they are being subjected to than the risks to us.

Sorry, rant over, but it is better to be informed!!

Kate

OK now - no need for name calling here. I'm sure Skylynx did not want her wonderful trip report posting to turn into a sounding board for animal rights activists. This is a "free" country and everyone is entitled to there own opinion - thank you for sharing yours. Your suggestion that people should "loudly" state that it is a scam when passing any of these photo booths has the potential to be a very unwise thing to do and I wouldn't be suggesting that to people. Since ,apparently, there is no law in Mexico against what these people are doing, publicly denouncing their business could wind up getting you detained for public harrassement by local police or worse. Unless you are completely informed on all the current Mexican laws, I would ere on the side of caution.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

OK now - no need for name calling here. I'm sure Skylynx did not want her wonderful trip report posting to turn into a sounding board for animal rights activists.

This is a "free" country and everyone is entitled to there own opinion - thank you for sharing yours. Your suggestion that people should "loudly" state that it is a scam when passing any of these photo booths has the potential to be a very unwise thing to do and I wouldn't be suggesting that to people.

Since ,apparently, there is no law in Mexico against what these people are doing, publicly denouncing their business could wind up getting you detained for public harrassement by local police or worse. Unless you are completely informed on all the current Mexican laws, I would ere on the side of caution.

Skylynx is giving us her trip report. She had no ideal about any scams , you made your point we all get it. We all get it understand it.

I hope this doesn't turn off other Dis members that are thinking about writing a report may now be intimidated.

JMI but I feel like Skylynx is getting bullied in her trip report

 

[Purplejewel]

Skylynx is giving us her trip report. She had no ideal about any scams , you made your point we all get it. We all get it understand it.

I hope this doesn't turn off other Dis members that are thinking about writing a report may now be intimidated.

JMI but I feel like Skylynx is getting bullied in her trip report

Completely agree with you and JMI about Skylynx getting bullied in her trip report. Skylynx and her DH are such wonderful people (they were my tablemates during the cruise) and she is such a fantastic writer - I have reread her trip report 4 times already and always find something new about it that makes me fondly remember them and the cruise. A person shouldn't have to worry about getting bullied or accused of doing something wrong when they write a trip report. K8T's post was long-winded and accusatory. I am friends with Skylynx and I didn't think she deserved it. But, I have seen things like this on the DisBoards before and I'm sure Skylynx has too, so I'm sure she is not taking it seriously. Speaking of trip reports - I believe I will read hers again (for the 5th time ) and brighten up my day.

 

[Stinkerbe11]

I agree that this discussion has overshadowed a wonderful trip report and I for one regret that I ever commented on the subject. I am positive that skylynx had no idea about the tigers and it's inappropriate for the discussion to continue on her thread. I am editing my post and suggest that others do the same...this belongs on the main thread page, not here

 

[skylynx]

OK, this is the last I’m writing on this topic. I agree I bristled a bit about the “naïve” comment. Maybe I was naïve to see those gorgeous cubs, want to touch them, and not automatically assume it was inherently abusive. I have run, as a volunteer, a 501c3 non-profit thoroughbred racehorse rescue for over ten years and can spot horse scammers at twenty paces, so I don’t think my naiveté is necessarily all-consuming. My alarm bells just did not go off. I wasn’t down some dark alley, the cubs had names and were being cuddled by the folks working at the booth. I got scolded by one of them for not holding the tiger cub correctly. The cubs didn’t spend the night there. It was an established booth with police hanging out steps away. Our cubs were squirming and bright eyed and yowling. Maybe it was just vacation stupor that made me not instantly suspect these vendors.

In retrospect, had I had the chance to research the cub photo people, or read other people’s speculation on Cruise Critic in advance, I wouldn’t have taken the risk of supporting something that did not have the animals’ overall welfare at heart. But I also couldn’t research if the guy in Cabo I gave $25 to for a metal star goes home and beats his wife, or if my beautiful Mexican blouse from the flea market in Puerto Vallarta was embroidered by an exploited child laborer, or my daughter’s purse was made by the ladies’ auxiliary of a drug cartel. Of course I’d regret it, if I had known.

I wrote this trip report so others cruising this itinerary soon could hear about what great stuff they had to look forward to…and especially reassure those who were maybe a little apprehensive about Mexico. Of course, the fact that nothing even remotely scary happened to us doesn’t mean you should let down your guard and go looking for trouble. It just means based on my personal experience-and that is what a trip report is-personal experience, we totally enjoyed wandering around the pier area in Cabo or the Malecon area of Puerto Vallarta without ever feeling threatened. I did not mean to spark controversy over pictures with exotic animals or dolphin encounters or riding skinny horses on the beach, or the authenticity of gift shop vanilla. (Folks on the seemingly benign thread about what souvenirs to bring back from the MR were quickly “educated” about “dangerous” vanilla.)

What keeps bringing me back to Disboards…that wonderful free flow of communication…comes with a price. When you voluntarily expose yourself and your actions to group scrutiny, as I have in my trip report, you have to take any criticism or negative responses in stride. Even if it’s about vanilla. You asked for it by posting, right? Whatever you are posting about, you are bound to hit some people’s hot buttons now and then, even completely unintentionally, and I did not take the affront on the lion cubs personally. Anyone who wrote about the cubs would have elicited the same response; I was just the first to get noticed. I am quite willing to learn from the expertise of others; in fact, I often solicit advice on the DIS. But our virtual world on these boards is just like our physical world, populated with know-it-alls as well as kind and generous compassionates who will show unimaginable kindness to near strangers. As adults we have to figure out who is worth listening to and dismiss the rest.

Thanks to those who wrote to defend me…it’s ok. I imagine K8T is a passionate and devoted animal lover who can’t help but be jaundiced by what she has evidently seen and experienced and so could not help but speak up.