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I wonder if the King recieved a visit from either of his sisters during his stay in hospital?
Duke of Marmalade said:Felipe does the "grin & bear it" version
http://www.vanitatis.com/fotos/album_2011/2012041796felipe_4_g.jpg
WWF - Wildlife Trade - Elephant Ivory Trade FAQs
This article has information on WWF's position on selective culling of elephant herds.
Protecting wild life is not the same as no hunting. Culling of wild animals is a necessary part of protection and conservation.
King Juan Carlos indescretion is more an issue of lack of empathy for his own family and his country. Wealthy people will spend their money in ways that may seem outrageous to some other people and whether he travels with his mistress is not something new to the spanish people and probably not to Queen Sofia and their family either.
Perhaps the spanish people finally had enough of a lifestyle that is perhaps not the best suitable for an official person of today.
Culling and shooting for sport is often one and the same. Botswana has been very successful in managing the elephants and the culling is most likely done by issuing permits for the number of elephants needed to keep the herds at ultimate size. Permits usually defines clearly what you may shoot, young or old, female or male, timing during the breeding season and so on.Thank you for the article. It seems that the controversy here is two-fold: one for the animal rights groups who are outraged by the images of the king shooting an elephant just for sport and not for culling, and the other the needless and frivolous expense during financial crisis. His lifestyle is definitely not in sync with Spain and he needs to reconsider his attitude, but we can only wait and see what the repercussions of this situation will be.
It appeared to be a very generic apology. What exactly did he apologize for? I have only read translations of the announcement and it certainly seem to lack depth.JC had to apologize for PR reasons. Its a shallow apology though. I dont think for one second that he is sorry for what he did (or actually truly understands what was wrong about it), only angry about his unfortunate fall that eventually disclosed his whereabouts.
Having said that, this is the end of it. "It wont happen again". Enough said and back to normality is the message. He will never step aside. JC commands so much respect because of the old boys' network, all those shady or not shady connections that are or came into place when he took over in 1975. He is still very powerful for his country. Felipe cannot follow the path of his father (because it was a one-off situation) what makes him vulnerable and less influencial in certain aspects of being King.
It appeared to be a very generic apology. What exactly did he apologize for? I have only read translations of the announcement and it certainly seem to lack depth.
I see no need to resign. WWF is very much involved in elephant management in Botswana and any permits issued are presumably in accordance with proper protocol for maintaining healthy herds.No decision yet regarding his post in the WWF?
"I'm sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again."
Generic, indeed. I suspect it is intentionally vague so that whatever offends you is covered. (e.g., elephant shooting, expensive vacations, foreign holidays, trips not disclosed to the government, secret rendezvous with mistress, having a mistress, etc.)
very true.
i find the apology at least something (going out as if nothing happened would have been even worse), although i am not convinced. i translate what the king means to my eyes: "next time it happens, you will not know about it".
he will surely not stop hunting because of this.
"I'm sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again."
Generic, indeed. I suspect it is intentionally vague so that whatever offends you is covered. (e.g., elephant shooting, expensive vacations, foreign holidays, trips not disclosed to the government, secret rendezvous with mistress, having a mistress, etc.)
He didn't kill an endangered animal. Botswana has an over supply of African elephants and the land cannot support them, and the cull is legal.
I get that people are sensitive, perhaps overly so, but when you take emotions out of the equation he did nothing wrong or illegal.
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I don't want Felipe and Letizia to be Kings
why you dont want that??? i think Felipe is trying really hard for the sake of his monarchy, and Letizia is an excelent lady and supportive consort.I don't want Felipe and Letizia to be Kings. The Monarchy in Spain is more "Juancarlismo" than anything, is not solid.
What exactly did he admit?I would like to say that the King is very humble and brave for admitting his mistake and apologising. News about this have been widely spread worldwide even to my part of the world. This is what we want to see from a good King and I appreciate what he did. Everyone makes mistake, hope they learn from their own mistakes and never to repeat again.
As I see it, it's not that the King was partaking in any illegal activity (not that I'm aware of?), but that he was willing to actively participate in a pursuit that is both ethically and emotionally divisive. And the killing of Elephants happens to be one of those; no matter the methods. As monarch, there is the reasonable expectation that he should display an understanding of topical issues and should be resolved to distance himself from matters which are fundamentally emotive.
Dare I ask why?