I have a friend who sends me jokes and amusing articles from the internet.
I was suprised to find a mention of Kodo in yesterday's email.  It was in a
collation of articles from newspapers around the world containing bizarre
news stories which I get sent regularly.  I'm not sure where it originates
from (BIG thinks it might be from Randy Cassingham at
http://www.thisistrue.com).  I have included some of the text preceding the
bit about Kodo so you can get an idea of the context.
 
Israel's Supreme Court outlawed alligator wrestling as a spectator event. ...
A gang of children in Rio de Janeiro set a beggar on fire. ... Kodo, a pet
ferret, was sentenced to death for biting the hand of a 71-year-old man.
 
After all the publicity about Kodo that was reported on the FML I found the
choice of wording of the single sentence an interesting revelation on what
parts of the huge amount of publicity actually caught the i public's
attention.
 
- "pet ferret"
No connotations here of the "dangerous wild animal" tag ferrets often seem
to end up with
 
- "sentenced to death"
Not "euthanised", which is good.  No mention of rabies though.
- "biting"
Looks like the public never caught on to the fact that it was not a bite.
 
It's a one sentence summary of a big issue that left a hell of a lot out.
 
It was pointed out to me by another friend who was quite suprised to find
out I already knew all about Kodo.
 
Kylie
 
Kylie Preisig, Perth, Western Australia
[log in to unmask]
First Aid Officer, WA Ferrets and Ferreting Society
The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employer.
 
[Posted in FML issue 2023]