Amen..I couldn't have said it better myself! ..n/p

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Posted by Amy on June 14, 2001 at 18:24:37:

In Reply to: Letter e-mailed to the editor...(Long) posted by Mr. D on June 13, 2001 at 23:16:04:

: Dear Mr. Brown,
: I was extremely disheartened when your recent "news" article entitled "Teenager rescues neighborhood from iguana" was brought to my attention. In my humble opinion, this was yet another example of EXTREMELY irresponsible �journalism�. Granted, it may have been yet another slow day in Wichita, �a flat and dusty cow town on the plains�, but that should NEVER be an excuse to make light of animal cruelty and abuse. For those of us who deal with these fragile creatures on a daily basis, it is clearly understood that the sheer mass of something even remotely the size and weight of a basketball striking NOT EVEN a full grown (6'+) green iguana could have easily caused crippling injuries or instantaneous death. And let�s not forget the fall from the tree. More potentially crippling injuries or death.
:
: As disheartening as the event itself is, what is even MORE distressful is the cavalier attitude taken by Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Wenzl when reporting the story. There is more than a hint of amusement contained within it. Rodriguez and Wenzl completely missed a golden opportunity to accomplish something far more worthwhile than simply composing near tabloid-quality blather. They missed an opportunity to actually take advantage of the incredible tool that they have at their disposal, in the form of this newspaper, and EDUCATE the general public about an exotic species of animal that has recently become the most popular �throw away pet� in the country. Exhibit QQQ would be the 2 � foot long barely green iguana that we were called on to take in by our local animal shelter after it wandered up a resident�s driveway and collapsed. This lizard, our fourth rescue this year, may very well die from dehydration, malnourishment, infection or any one of a number of other potential issues that were confirmed today by a trip to our herpetologically trained veterinarian.
:
: Instead, Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Wenzl chose to make light of the situation. It is missed opportunities and lack of knowledge, as demonstrated here, that continues to assist in the annual killing of an estimated 30,000 iguanas each year. One can only imagine the number of iguanas suffering from abuse and neglect simply because their owners never bothered to research the animal before they bought it. Whether or not young Mr. Fernandez did actually take solace in �whopping� the iguana with a basketball, Animal Control should have immediately placed him under arrest for whatever constitutes animal cruelty laws in the flat and dusty cow town on the plains. I believe Mr. Jordan would have more common sense than to throw a basketball at an iguana and I would hope that any amount of solace would be totally absent.

: Regretfully,

: Mr. D
: The Iguana Spot
: www.theiguanaspot.com
:

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: : Dear Mr. Brown, : : I was extremely disheartened when your recent "news" article entitled "Teenager rescues neighborhood from iguana" was brought to my attention. In my humble opinion, this was yet another example of EXTREMELY irresponsible �journalism�. Granted, it may have been yet another slow day in Wichita, �a flat and dusty cow town on the plains�, but that should NEVER be an excuse to make light of animal cruelty and abuse. For those of us who deal with these fragile creatures on a daily basis, it is clearly understood that the sheer mass of something even remotely the size and weight of a basketball striking NOT EVEN a full grown (6'+) green iguana could have easily caused crippling injuries or instantaneous death. And let�s not forget the fall from the tree. More potentially crippling injuries or death. : : : : As disheartening as the event itself is, what is even MORE distressful is the cavalier attitude taken by Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Wenzl when reporting the story. There is more than a hint of amusement contained within it. Rodriguez and Wenzl completely missed a golden opportunity to accomplish something far more worthwhile than simply composing near tabloid-quality blather. They missed an opportunity to actually take advantage of the incredible tool that they have at their disposal, in the form of this newspaper, and EDUCATE the general public about an exotic species of animal that has recently become the most popular �throw away pet� in the country. Exhibit QQQ would be the 2 � foot long barely green iguana that we were called on to take in by our local animal shelter after it wandered up a resident�s driveway and collapsed. This lizard, our fourth rescue this year, may very well die from dehydration, malnourishment, infection or any one of a number of other potential issues that were confirmed today by a trip to our herpetologically trained veterinarian. : : : : Instead, Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Wenzl chose to make light of the situation. It is missed opportunities and lack of knowledge, as demonstrated here, that continues to assist in the annual killing of an estimated 30,000 iguanas each year. One can only imagine the number of iguanas suffering from abuse and neglect simply because their owners never bothered to research the animal before they bought it. Whether or not young Mr. Fernandez did actually take solace in �whopping� the iguana with a basketball, Animal Control should have immediately placed him under arrest for whatever constitutes animal cruelty laws in the flat and dusty cow town on the plains. I believe Mr. Jordan would have more common sense than to throw a basketball at an iguana and I would hope that any amount of solace would be totally absent. : : Regretfully, : : Mr. D : : The Iguana Spot : : www.theiguanaspot.com : :

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