AR-News: (MN-US) Monkey shines

[Cari Gehl]

Below is a ridiculous article that appeared in the St.
Paul Pioneer Press on Saturday, Jan. 24.  This author
promotes the idea that this monkey enjoys performing
and has a wonderful life. If you could see the photo
in the article, this monkey’s face clearly shows fear.
Another posting which follows this, gives you some
idea of the things this monkey has to endure.

Although the paper does not accept letters to the
editor unless they are local, the author of the
article can be reached at:

Ellen Tomson can be reached at
etomson at pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5455.

Please write and educate her on why animals should not
be used in entertainment and how they suffer.

This rodeo is currently touring. To see if it will be 
appearing near you, check the dates and locations at:
http://www.wtrodeo.com/

Thanks so much for your help!

For the animals,
Cari
Skyblew4 at aol.com

"All beings tremble before violence. All fear death,
all love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can
you hurt? What harm can you do?" -Buddha

------------------------
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Posted on Sat, Jan. 24, 2004      

Monkey shines
This pint-sized cowpoke is the star of the rodeo
BY ELLEN TOMSON
Pioneer Press 

Whiplash, a 17-year-old monkey that dresses up like a
cowboy and rides a border collie in the Dodge World's
Toughest Rodeo, practices with his trainer.

Whiplash, a rough-ridin' cowboy monkey from Texas, is
here and ready to ride.

Billed as "the world's smallest cowboy," he's a
featured star in Dodge World's Toughest Rodeo this
weekend at Xcel Energy Center.

He weighs just 7 pounds, but when it comes to staying
in the saddle on a big, bucking border collie and
herding a few sheep, he hangs (on) tough.

In the course of his career, Whiplash has appeared on
national television, performed for the premier of
China and for royalty, including Prince Ranier and
Princess Stephanie of Monaco. He's been sought out for
commercial work and invited to appear on late-night
talk shows with Jimmy Kimmel and David Letterman. The
latest production began last year for a Hollywood
movie starring the monkey.

Sure, those fancy sheep dogs are imported from
England, Wales and Scotland — and cost thousands — but
Whiplash has outlasted the best of dogs on the rodeo
circuit.

He's performed for 15 years. The dogs perform for
maybe four, then retire to the warm Southwest to do
"real" herding.
Whiplash's two latest mounts are Ben and Bud. They
alternate performances. Whip-lash doesn't care which
one he rides.

Whiplash has a worldwide fan club (especially strong
in Japan and Australia, a fact Whiplash wastes no time
puzzling over) and a Web site www.whiplashrides.com.
The site includes some photos of him in action, a
brief bio and information on how admirers can purchase
Whiplash drinking mugs, mouse pads and T-shirts.

Whiplash is on the road about four months a year,
traveling about 30,000 miles. He rides with his
trainer, Tommy Lucia, and Lucia's son, Anthony, 18, in
the cab of a big Dodge pickup truck. He gets the
second seat all to himself. Meanwhile, the dogs and a
performing horse are relegated to the 40-foot trailer
in tow.

Lucia says he took on the role of Whiplash's surrogate
father when the little guy was just 2 years old. Lucia
likely knows him better than anyone, which is why we
asked him to serve as spokesman and translator when we
caught up with Whiplash earlier this week for an
interview:

Q. How exactly did you train for your act?
A. Well, first thing, I had to get used to wearing
clothes. Then, I had to work on my attitude — the
mental/emotional thing — because I wasn't too sure
those border collies were friendly types. They weigh
about 60 pounds, you know, and they're strong. It took
me about eight months to learn to ride a dog. And the
sheep can be real annoying. They can jump 5 feet —
right over me and the dog — and they've got a good
kick. You'll hear me screaming at them sometimes when
we're performing.

Q. You're 17. That's ancient for a monkey, right? Any
thoughts of retiring?
A. You gotta be kidding. This act is what keeps me
going. My private doc and the one I visit at the Fort
Worth, Texas, zoo told me I'm as fit as a 4- or
5-year-old. I eat right. I stay active. I like to bang
things around, jump off stuff and whip around my wool
blanket. That trainer I have, he's looking like an old
man at 62. I've got a bet going with him that I'll
outlive him.

Q. Is Whiplash just a stage name?
A. It's been my stage name so long I feel like it's my
real name. At home, though, I sometimes go by Zippy or
Pistol.

Q. What about those rumors you've got something going
with a much younger Capuchin starlet-gymnast?
A. Nothing to them. I'm totally single. My trainer is
divorced and told me single is the way to go.

Q. You wear some pretty sharp-looking outfits. I've
heard they're custom made, that you've got your own
seamstress. Is style important to you?
A. Do tell you the truth, I like to take it all off.
Sometimes, when I look in a mirror at myself all
gussied up, my hair just stands up. I'm thinking it's
got to be another monkey I'm looking at.

Q. If the conditions are right, you've said you would
consider an appearance with ABC's late-night host
Jimmy Kimmel. But you always say no to Letterman. Why?
A. Letterman just has monkeys on his show so he can
make jokes about them, rip them apart. My trainer is
like a dad: protective. He doesn't want to subject me
to that. If I'm in New York and I think it would be a
good move for me, I might consider Kimmel's show. But
not in a studio with spotlights. I have to have some
dirt and a corral-type atmosphere for my act to work.

Q. What can you tell us about this movie deal?
A. Well, I play the role of this retired Texas ranger,
Waco Willy. That's all I'm gonna say.

Q. Is this a good career for a monkey? Or is the
salary just peanuts?
A. I get more than peanuts: vitamins, bananas (of
course) and other fruit, peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches — wholesome grub. I like sugar, but my
personal trainer limits the sweets. My trainer treats
me better than himself. He's always afraid I'll catch
a cold or get stung by an insect or something.
And as far as the career, if a monkey has the patience
to learn, great balance and likes to ride, I'd say go
for it. You get to meet new people, the traveling is
good, you get more than half the year off, and you get
a lot of personal attention. My trainer says it's
kinda crazy how people like me so much. He says I'm
unpredictable. But I've got him pretty well figured
out.

Whiplash, Live!

• What: World's Toughest Rodeo
• Where: Xcel Energy Center
• When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
• Tickets: $12 to $36. With a Winter Carnival button,
receive a $5 discount on regular adult prices. Tickets
are on sale at the Xcel Energy Center box office, all
Ticketmaster locations, by calling 651-989-5151 or
online at www.ticketmaster.com. For group rates, call
651-312-3486.

Ellen Tomson can be reached at
etomson at pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5455. 





__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it!
http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/