Category: Information

Everyone who’s been to the Kuwait Zoo knows how sad and depressing the place is. I’ve written about it a number of times and it’s just something that has bewildered me for a very long time. Why is the zoo the way it is? I always figured the people who worked at the zoo didn’t care about the animals but after meeting a few of the staff members recently I now know that’s not true. Turns out there are two main reasons why the zoo is a disaster, the first is the zoo visitors and the second is they just don’t have enough money to make it better.

The Visitors
Majority of the people who visit the zoo do not respect the animals nor do they respect any of the rules. On one trip to the zoo during the daytime when it was fairly empty I witnessed three different incidents in a space of 15 minutes that summarizes the problem with the people at the zoo. The first incident took place at the elephant enclosure. We noticed a woman with her young kid had climbed over the fence, through the cactuses all the way to the wall of the elephant enclosure and were taking pictures next to the trunk of the elephant that was sticking out. One of the zoo employees who was with me yelled at the women to get away from the elephant because it was dangerous and the woman just coldly took her time making her way back out over the fence as if she had done nothing wrong. A few meters away on the other corner of the enclosure there was a kid next to his mother with a bag of oranges throwing them at the second elephant. Again the zoo employee had to stop the kid from throwing oranges at the elephant while the mother was pretending she wasn’t noticing any of this.

The third incident occurred just a short distance away at the baboon enclosure. As we arrived we noticed a kid was on top of the fence sticking french fries into the baboon cage trying to feed them. His mother and his sister were standing next to him watching and then the baboon stuck his hand out of the cage and the little boy tried to kick it hard but ended up missing and hitting the cage. The zoo employee I was with yelled at the boy to get down and then pulled the kid down but the kid kept climbing back up wanting to feed the baboons. The employee was telling the kid how dangerous it was since the baboons can bite and scratch people when his mother started shouting at her. She told the employee that no one cares about her kids more than her and if this was dangerous she wouldn’t be letting her kids feed the baboons. I was just standing there going WTF?

Visitors are one of the biggest issues of the zoo. I’ve already posted about how some kids try to kill the animals with slingshots and how the trash people throw into the cages end up killing the animals as well. A lot of kids are uneducated and abusive throwing whatever they can at the animals or in the case above trying to kick them. This is why the zoo tries to protect the animals using chicken wire (a fence with very small openings) around the cages, cactus plants, higher fences and security guards. But even those defenses fail all the time, people still manage to shove food into the cages, they pull down the chicken wire fence and put it on top of the cactuses so they can walk on them towards the cages. Even security guards get ignored and the guards are too afraid to confront the visitors anyway.

No Budget
Now this second issue is the bigger of the two. The zoo has limited financial resources. Although Kuwait is a rich country, the zoo and animals aren’t really a priority. Right now there are two major enclosures for example that need to be changed or fixed but the zoo staff haven’t been able to secure the budget for them.

The first problem is the elephant enclosure. Right now there are two elephants and the enclosure is pretty tiny. The larger of the two elephants has started destroying the walls of the enclosure because of frustration. The zoo submitted a proposal to double the size of the enclosure since there is an empty plot right next to the elephant enclosure but the proposal was rejected. Instead a construction company was brought in to install large metal beams around the elephant enclosure as a solution (pictured above).

The second problem that is in dire need of attention is the chimpanzee cage (pictured above). There are four chimps in one of the most depressing cages I’ve ever seen. They have no entertainment whatsoever inside, it’s just a rectangular dark cage with concrete floors and thats it. But, there’s a great spot in the zoo which the staff want to convert to a chimp enclosure. It’s a large space (see below) that can be planted with trees and greenery and chimps can roam free in it. The plan was proposed but rejected due to budgetary reasons. So now the space is gonna be turned into a reptile enclosure filled with a few crocs and turtles which is going to be a complete waste of space.

So although the staff do want to improve the zoo they just don’t have any money do so. It’s very depressing. Even when it comes to fixing enclosures or purchasing new medical equipment it’s all handled in the same low priority “put a bandaid on it” way.

The Solution
The visitors problem is very difficult to fix. One way would be to increase the prices of the tickets (currently it’s 500fils) in hopes that would stop or lessen the amount of visitors that come to the zoo. Educating the parents and the children is too large a task for the zoo to handle and signs and leaflets really have no effect. The most realistic solution to the people problem is to continue and try to protect the animals (I suggested replacing cactus plants with barbed wire) and hiring Kuwaiti security to replace the current expats.

The solution with the budget should be simpler… just increase the budget, but that’s not happening. A more realistic option we discussed is sponsorship by private companies. Companies could sponsor an animal enclosure and the money would be used to build it or improve it. It’s something that’s done in other zoos around the world and in this situation it would be a great way to solve a lot of the problems.

By the way you’re a company and are interested in doing this, email me for more details [Here]

It’s really sad that the zoo doesn’t have any money to improve the situation for the animals. It’s not only the elephants and the chimps that are in trouble but those two are the priorities right now. The baboon cage for example has around 70 baboons inside and is over crowded. The tiger needs more space, the hippos need a new water filter for their pool and one of the giraffes is limping but they don’t have a portable xray machine to check and see why. They even have one animal enclosure nicknamed Guantanamo because it’s that bad.

The problems with the zoo are major and hopefully I was able to bring it some exposure.

From what I know it’s illegal to make/get permanent tattoos in Kuwait but I found a local tattoo artist based in Salmiya advertising his services with a banner on Facebook. Dude, tip #1: If you’re doing something illegal you shouldn’t be advertising it. [Link]

Twitter updated their 2012 user information request page and it turns out Kuwait did not request any data about any local users from Twitter last year. Actually the only Arab country to request user information was surprisingly Qatar. Check out the full list [Here]

via @Nibaq

Elmnet in collaboration with Qualitynet are currently giving away 2Mbps internet for free at InfoConnect. Sounds too good to be true? Well it kinda is. Here are some things you need to know:

Pros
– It’s for everyone, expats and Kuwaitis
– It’s free and it’s 2Mbps

Cons
– You can only use their software to browse the internet
– You can only browse the internet and do nothing else internet related (no torrents, no online gaming etc.)
– You will have three ad banners on the screen the whole time framing the browser, one on the left, one on the right and one below
– You can only use it on a computer. You can’t use it on your smart phone or any other device like your gaming system or tablet
–

The salesman wasn’t sure if it would work with Macs or Linux operating systems

works on Macs but not Linux

Update: According to a spokesperson from Elmnet the connection isn’t limited to just browsing. You can use the connection for other internet activities like downloading torrents and streaming music from apps like Spotify etc.

Last week I posted about how a tall metal fence was being constructed around Kuwait’s Constitution Monument. Well a reader who I presume is somehow connected to the project left a comment explaining why the decision to erect a fence was made:

Initially the monument and the garden hosting it were supposed to be opened to the public, as the garden was designed to tell a story, the story of the state of Kuwait before and after the constitution. The side of the garden as you enter it from the Tijaria tower represents the past, you`ll see only desert plants arranged in randomly and in groups, planted in sand, representing the tribes scattered over the deserted area of the country. Once you pass trough the monument, which represents the Kuwait Constitution (and which is actually built from titanium plates electroplated with bronze and the bronze blocks you see on the monument are representing the articles of the constitution, one block for each article) you enter the garden representing the present, on the right, and the future on the left. The fountain to the right has few vertical sprinklers representing the oil-wells. The flowers are representing the people of Kuwait (diversity of flowers for diversity of people) and a stream of water that goes to the roots of the monument is the symbol of the will of the people feeding/changing the constitution according to the modern needs. The left side has a mirror fountain, still water, beautiful flowers; is the future of Kuwait.

This is how the park was designed/imagined by the architect.

All those olive trees were brought from Italy and carefully selected to look almost the same in shape and height. Flowers have been brought from outside most of them. The marble used for pathways is also from Italy.

A lot of work/expensive materials/money have been invested in this project. It was supposed to be a place for leisure/ relaxation.

Few days after it was inaugurated flowers/plants were uprooted, stones and plants thrown in the water olive trees with broken branches and the disaster continued. Two times the plants/flowers were replanted with the same effect on people (uneducated / unsupervised kids mostly).

As so.. the decision to place a fence around this area has been taken very easy. This fence will be in place until the second phase of the project (rehabilitation of the entire park) will start/finish.
In conclusion, THAT fence is there because of the people (not drawing a conclusion that all people are the same so don`t jump with lame comments, who wants to understand what i mean will understand; see Mark`s article related to the Zoo) not because someone wanted to stop access of the people to the park. Hopefully one day will be open for everyone to see and admire.

KEMS
Approx. 20 to 25% off on subscriptions

Fastelco
KD40 per year for 2Mbps
KD80 per year for 5Mbps
KD140 per year for 10Mbps
KD299 per year for 20Mbps
KD499 per year for 50Mbps
KD999 per year for 100Mbps

Gulfnet
50% off on subscriptions

Qualitynet
Free 2Mbps internet with Elmnet. Details [Here]

Thanks Phoenix

With all the gun control talk that’s currently taking place in the States right now I thought this little bit of information was interesting. According to gunpolicy.org, the rate of private gun ownership in Kuwait is 24.82 firearms per 100 people. When I first heard that figure it sounded like a lot until I realized the rate in the US in comparison is 88.8 firearms per 100 people. But, confusingly, the rate of private gun ownership in Lebanon is just 21 per 100 people.

You can get a lot more information on gun numbers in Kuwait along with more facts and figures by checking the following [Link]

Kuwait has the 4th highest average price per minute for voice calls in the Arab world and the highest among GCC countries. Lebanon on the other hand is in 1st place with the highest average price per minute while Egypt has the lowest prices. Check out the full graph [Here]

via BlogBaladi

Strange subject I know but the bathrooms at The Prestige section of Avenues Phase III are probably the nicest bathrooms I’ve ever seen in any mall. Every stall is a bathroom by itself with its own sink, bidet, large mirror and of course the toilet. They’re clean and I don’t think get much foot traffic unlike all the other bathrooms in Avenues which are generally horrible (but still way better than Souk Sharq and Marina Mall). So if you’re ever at The Avenues and want to use the bathroom, head to The Prestige ones.

A couple of weeks back I was walking in Avenues Phase III when suddenly I smelled something incredibly good. I followed the smell all the way inside the Williams-Sonoma store to a pot sitting behind the checkout counter. I asked one of the employees about the smell and she was extremely helpful, like she went into their store room and brought out all the ingredients to show me kind of helpful. She told me it was basically just a crockpot (rice cooker/slow cooker) filled with water and had the following ingredients boiling inside:

– 2 sliced oranges
– 2 chopped apples
– 2 sticks of cinnamon
– 3 teaspoons of cinnamon powder

So last night I passed by Kenwood (Jashanmal in Kuwait City) and picked up a crockpot along with all the ingredients I needed from the supermarket. I found crockpots that were as cheap as KD5 at Xcite but they only had crockpots in white while I wanted a black one. The Kenwood dealer didn’t have a black one either but I ended up getting the stainless steel version pictured above which looked pretty cool but also cost around KD15.

All you do is add the ingredients with water into the pot and then just wait until the water boils and your house fills up with an incredible aroma. My apartment now smells like I’ve been baking apple pies all day long and I love it.

Does anyone know of a company that specializes in cleaning and sanitizing mattresses and furniture from dust mites and other bacteria? I have a friend that’s allergic to them and I knew of one company that specialized in this called Green Cleaners Company but they shut down awhile back.

Over a year ago the owner of 965 Flowers contacted me wanting me to write about his website. It’s basically a website similar to 6alabat except instead of ordering food you order flowers. I’m not a flower kind of guy so the website really didn’t interest me at all. I then kept getting emails from him every few months and even phone calls but I still wasn’t interested and it was kind of getting annoying. But, one thing he did achieve was implant the website into my head so I wouldn’t forget it.

Finally the day came where I needed to send flowers and 965flowers.com popped into my head. The website has 10 flower shops listed which combined means I had hundreds of different flower options to choose from with a lot of different prices. After painstakingly hunting through all the thumbnails I finally found what I wanted and ordered it. I placed the order around 9AM and asked it to be delivered between 11AM and 2PM of the same day. At 12:18PM I get a confirmation email telling me the flowers were delivered.

So yeah it works and I thought it was easy to use and practical. Only thing I would have liked is the ability to view all the flowers from all the stores on one page since it was pretty annoying going into every store one by one and then flipping through pages and pages of thumbnails. Other than that I had no issues at all.

Here is the link to the website if you want to check it out. [Link]

Update: Based on my feedback they’ve now added the option to view all the flowers from all the store at the same time, but you’re still limited to viewing just 15 thumbnails at once.

Aramex have yet again increased their shipping prices. The first half kilo is now KD3.250 when it used to be KD3.150 and each additional half kg is now KD2.750 compared to 2.650 last year. I’ve noticed they no longer even try to explain the price increases anymore. [Source]

A fire took place late last night at Souk Mubarkiya. I don’t have any info on it just the pictures I was sent which I’ve attached to this post. Judging by these two photos the fire damage looks pretty extensive.

Update: Kuwait Times have published more details on the fire. It started around 9AM yesterday (Tuesday 1/1/2013) and it engulfed around 35 shops. [Link]

Gallup measured positive emotions in 148 countries and areas using the following five questions:

– Did you feel well-rested yesterday?
– Where you treated with respect all day yesterday?
– Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?
– Did you lear or do something interesting yesterday?
– Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? How about enjoyment?

The percentage in Kuwait who answered yes to all the questions above was 79% placing Kuwait in 17th place. Impressive. [Link]

Thanks Othman