Opinion / Zou Hanru
The short story of a tall man
By Zou Hanru (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-22 06:49
At 7 feet, 9 inches tall, Bao Xishun is no stranger to flashing cameras
and his image being splashed across newspapers and TV screens. His affair
with the media began last year when the Guinness World Records confirmed
him as the world's tallest living man.
Bao overtook previous record-holder Radhouane Charbib of Tunisia by just
2 millimetres. Bao was a normal height until the age of 16. After that,
he had a growth spurt that doctors could not explain. It took him just
seven years to grow to his present height from that of a normal
16-year-old.
So it came as no surprise when an aquatic park in Fushun, Liaoning
Province, sought the services of the herdsman from Inner Mongolia last
week to perform a most unusual task.
The world's tallest man had to save two dolphins by using his long arms
to reach into their stomachs and pull out the dangerous plastic shards
that they had accidentally swallowed. The park sought his help after
veterinarians' repeated attempts to extract them had failed. Bao was
expected to do what artificial instruments could not because the dolphins
contracted their stomachs each time the arm-like tools were inserted in
their mouths.
The dolphins had lost their appetite and could have died if the plastic
shards were not removed.
Bao reached the mammals' stomachs, extending his 3.5-foot arm as
attendants held back the dolphins' heads. Towels were wrapped around
their teeth to prevent him from getting bitten.
The dolphins are now "in very good condition," even though "some very
small plastic pieces are still in their stomachs." Vets expect the
dolphins to "digest" the pieces and make a full recovery soon.
Bao's heroic act should remind us what we humans are capable of if we
have the determination, of course. We have the power to make Earth a
better place by giving all its other creatures an equal chance to
survive. But given the rate at which we are killing the other living
beings of this planet, it will not be long before we lose that power.
Many may argue that this world and all its creatures are going through
constant evolution, and only the fittest have the right to survive. That,
my friends, is like trying to stand Charles Darwin's theory on its head.
For evolution is not about the rampant destruction of the home that we
live in.
It is people like Bao who every now and then flash a ray of hope that we
could still make a difference despite the melting Arctic ice, dwindling
rainforests, receding glaciers, encroaching deserts, increasing ozone
holes and rising oceans. Bao represents those hundreds of thousands of
faceless fighters that want to see a better world a world free of
pollution, a world full of greenery and a world devoid of natural
disasters.
For every Bao, we have a hundred, if not a thousand, unknown fighters
trying to hand over a cleaner and better Earth to our children.
You must be wondering how Bao has all of a sudden become an
environmentalist, especially when he is herdsman. Are not herds of cattle
and flocks of sheep one of the greatest threats to forests? And are not
herdsmen and their occupation principally to blame for that? That may be
true, but then there are the herdsmen who graze their cattle and sheep
only in designated areas and even if they cross the line, they do so to
earn a living, not out of greed.
To me Bao has become a symbol of conservation because he is able to
inspire many children to love and respect all the living beings on Earth.
Just imagine what the world would be if each of us, like Bao, could save
just two plants or animals, especially those that are endangered or
threatened.
I know it is a tough ask, but at least we can try.
(China Daily 12/22/2006 page4)
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