This is the final close up day for the Asian Palm Civet with a focus on the Kopi Luwak Industry and their treatment of the Asian Palm Civet. Kopi Luwak is Indonesian and translates to Coffee (Kopi) and Asian Palm Civet (Luwak). Kopi Luwak comes from Asian Palm Civet eating coffee cherries, not fully digesting the inner coffee stone/bean, and defecating the beans. This digestion process does change the coffee bean’s chemical composition. Once the bean is cleaned, dried, roasted, and brewed into coffee, it does create a different tasting coffee. Why would anyone take coffee beans from the stool of an animal? During Indonesia’s colonization times, Dutch colonizers and plantation owners would grow Arabica coffee as a cash crop. However, the Dutch plantation owners would not allow the local Indonesians, including those who worked on the farms, to try the coffee. These locals noticed the coffee beans in the Asian Palm Civet stool and decided to clean, dry, roast, and brew these coffee beans. Eventually the Dutch plantation owners found out, tried this coffee, agreed the coffee was good, and decided to sell it. Initially, the Kopi Luwak Industry helped the Asian Palm Civet. The Toddy Cat was considered a pest of coffee and fruit farms because they would steal fruit. As Kopi Luwak became more popular, this industry helped encourage the protection of the Toddy Cats. Why is Kopi Luwak so expensive? At first, wild civet poop was collected from coffee plantations and from the forests where wild civets roamed. Finding and gathering this stool was very time consuming and difficult so with greater demand than product, the coffee became more expensive. As Kopi Luwak became more popular, the Civets were captured and caged to make it easier to get their stool and keep up with the growing demand. However, even with caged civets, the price of this coffee has stayed high for both the consumer and the civets. In 2013, the BBC news team investigated some Kopi Luwak Plantations. They found the Asian Palm Civets kept in inhuman conditions that went against the natural behavior of these civets. Normally, wild Asian Palm Civets are very territorial, enjoy solitude, sleep during the day, hunt during the night, and only eat the ripest of coffee cherries along with many other foods. At these coffee farms, Asian Palm Civets were found to be kept in very small cages that were close together. These cages were not regularly cleaned and these Toddy Cats are forced to walk on the dirty metal cage floors 24/7 causing sores and open wounds on their feet. Tourists and workers on these plantations would keep these civets awake during daylight hours and ruin their normal nocturnal sleeping patterns. Many Toddy Cats were thin and malnourished from a singular diet of coffee cherries. While others became obese from not being able to run around. Many would run in circles in their cages trying to get find ways out. They would also lose fur and get constipated from their diets. When the Asian Palm Civets were not useful to the plantations anymore, they would be sold to live animal markets or released back into the wild. If they were sold to live animal markets, then they could become potential disease carriers and spreaders in their poor health. Researchers have documented that certain strains of the SARS virus can transfer from these civets to humans and these live markets became a disease breeding ground. If they are released back into the wild after being caged, they are too weak to survive long and die soon after. From the articles and news I was able to find, the Kopi Luwak industry does not have regulations regularly making, checking, or enforcing any rules on the care of caged civets nor what is allowed to be labelled as wild Kopi Luwak. Businesses buying and selling Kopi Luwak to consumers can advertise their coffee as being sourced from wild sources without anyone checking if it is or not. Even the businesses trying to be responsible and source their Kopi Luwak from wild sources can be lied to by middle men or the managers of the Kopi Luwak plantations. Sometimes caged and wild civet coffee beans are mixed and passed off for wild civet Kopi Luwak. Is there anything we can do to help? Yes and it will even save us money. Do not buy Kopi Luwak. Do not create a demand for this product. Vote with your dollar by not buying what you do not want to support. Spread the word of the harm this product is causing to the civets and that Kopi Luwak advertised as wild is not necessarily from wild civets. There are so many other choices of coffee out there that are not harming Asian Palm Civets or other animals. Please continue to enjoy your coffee at a price that does not hurt your wallet and the animals and environment producing it. Asian Palm Civet Facts
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paradoxurus_hermaphroditus/ http://animalia.bio/asian-palm-civet https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kopi-Luwak The Asian Palm Civet and the Kopi luwak coffee industry https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/04/160429-kopi-luwak-captive-civet-coffee-Indonesia/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-24034029 https://theexoticbean.com/blog/coffee-types/history-kopi-luwak-coffee-from-civets/ (Disclaimer: I am not advertising for this website and I am not encouraging you to buy the products found on this website. This website was used as a reference for the history of Kopi Luwak only). https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/what-is-the-true-cost-of-the-worlds-most-expensive-coffee/7C883DA427A9B6B5F8D795C511648B20 https://investigations.peta.org/kopi-luwak-coffee-cruelty/
0 Comments
This is the first of 2 close up days for my Asian Palm Civet. I decided to split the Close Up Days so I can talk about my favorite fun facts about the Asian Palm Civet this week and then go into the Kopi Luwak Coffee Industry next week. The Asian Palm Civet's ability to choose the sweetest and ripest of coffee cherries is only a small part of it's diet. It has a sweet tooth and consumes many other types of fruits and plant sugars including chiku, mangoes, bananas, rambutan, papayas, nectar of silk cotton trees, and sap from the flowers of sugar palm trees. The fermented sap from the sugar palm trees is called toddy so the Asian Palm Civet was given the nickname Toddy Cat. Because of this love of fruit, these toddy cats are very important to their tropical forest ecosystems. Coffee beans in their poop is just one of the many seeds they disperse throughout the forests. The Asian Palm Civet also eats meats like small rodents, birds, insects, worms, seeds, eggs, reptiles, snails, and scorpions. Looking at the Asian Palm Civet's teeth, they have weaker carnivore teeth than their other relative civets who more meat based diets. The Asian Palm Civet is compared a lot to the North American Raccoon. They have both adapted well to living near humans. They have similar facial markings. They are also omnivorous in their eating habits. The Asian Palm Civet is nocturnal and solitary except for mating season. Other than seeing its habits through captive breeding, wild Asian Palm Civets mating and raising their young is largely unknown. Each Toddy cat has its own territory and only goes into other territories when it does not have enough food. To communicate with other Toddy Cats, it uses scent marking that it puts down by rubbing its scent glands on the ground. These civets are mostly silent but will make noises like meowing, hissing, snarling, and spitting. For more information Check out my References Below.
Asian Palm Civet Facts https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paradoxurus_hermaphroditus/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-24034029 http://animalia.bio/asian-palm-civet The Asian Palm Civet and the Kopi luwak coffee industry https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/04/160429-kopi-luwak-captive-civet-coffee-Indonesia/ www.businessinsider.com/kopi-luwak-cat-poop-worlds-most-expensive-coffee-taste-test-2018-11%3famp Any coffee lovers out there? If so then raise that virtual hand in the comments below and let me know what your favorite coffee is.
This is your fellow coffee lover, the Asian Palm Civet and its coffee of choice are the sweetest and ripest of coffee cherries. You may know the Asian Palm Civet more by its controversial poop that contains Kopi Luwak, or partially digested coffee cherries that are used to make the most expensive coffee in the world (about $35-$100 expensive). This coffee is not just controversial for being poop coffee but also because of the inhuman ways that people get the Kopi Luwak from the Asian Palm Civet. The Asian Palm Civets are captured, caged, and fed only coffee cherries which is only one small part of its omnivorous diet. If I was stuck in a small cage with only coffee cherries to eat, then that caffeine or sugar high energy would drive me crazy. Unfortunately for the Asian Palm Civet, this inhuman treatment does cause them to go insane. More details on the Asian Palm Civet in next week’s close ups. Today is close up day for my Key Deer design and some of my favorite fun facts about Key Deer. A fully grown Key Deer is about 2 to 3 feet tall and 55 to 80 pounds. That is about the size of a medium sized dog. Their fawns are about the size of a house cat. Because of their size, they are nicknamed Toy Deer. They are the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer but are the largest herbivores on the Florida Keys. They are the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer but are the largest herbivores on the Florida Keys. About ¾ of the Key Deer population is located on the Big Pine and No Name Keys islands. Key Deer eat at least 150 types of native flora including mangrove leaves and thatch palm berries. Thatch palm trees, red mangroves, and black mangroves are depicted in my design. Fresh water sources are very important to their survival but they can handle drinking a little brackish water. (Brackish water is in-between ocean water and freshwater in the amount of salt it has). For more Fun Facts Check out my References below:
Key Deer Facts
Mangrove Species Brackish Water March 11th was Key Deer Awareness Day. My Key Deer is a little late but it is always a good day to spread awareness.
Found on the Florida Keys, Key Deer were hunted to near extinction with about 25 deer found in 1951. They were listed as endangered on March 11th, 1967 and were one of the first animals “protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1973.” (https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Key-Deer). Key Deer do not have any natural predators except humans. Over the years, Key Deer have been conditioned to approach humans from people feeding them. Although this seems like a harmless act of kindness, this causes Key Deer to wander into more human populated areas. This makes them vulnerable to their number one threat of getting hit by cars and other vehicles. To help conserve the Key Deer population, keep the Key Deer wild and do not feed them. It’s Close Up Day! I’m trying out Tuesdays as a new day. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Southern Mountain Viscachas are found in the Andes Mountains from southern Peru and western and central Bolivia to central Chile and western Argentina. They live in colonies at altitudes as high as “4,800 m asl [above sea level]” (IUCN Red List). These areas are very rocky with thinly scattered vegetation so they are very opportunistic herbivores. The food they can find includes lichen, grass, and moss. They sleep in the rock crevices at night and come out at sunrise. During the day, they find a nice spot to sunbathe and groom each other. During sunrise and sunset, they are very active looking for food. According to the IUCN Red List, they are animals of least concern with a stable population. They are locally hunted for meat and fur but have mostly avoided the fur train due to their constant molting. References
Videos of Viscacha in Wild https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI6AyMt5IKM&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA1zBdC6mxg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5WvwTrgNaE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzp8vrrlAFc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzp8vrrlAFc Southern Mountain Viscacha Facts https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lagidium_viscacia/ https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11148/22190789 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8bljb9zFwY&feature=emb_logo http://animalia.bio/southern-viscacha Chinchillidae Family Facts https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chinchillidae/ Happy Tuesday Everyone!
March always reminds me that spring is on its way. As we move toward longer sunny days, I thought I would introduce my Sunbathing Southern Mountain Viscacha. I first discovered Viscachas while researching my Maned Wolf (pictures of 2020 Maned Wolf below) I knew from the moment I saw their chill sunbathing face, I needed to create a Mountain Viscacha design. This bunny looking animal is in the family Chinchillidae with its only living family member being the Chinchilla. I hope you enjoy and close up pictures and fun facts next week! Although the lore varies, the Ox's story is pretty straightforward. The Ox decided to participate in the Jade Emperor's race and ran until it got to the river. Before swimming, the Ox allowed the rat to hitch a ride. Some stories say the rat convinced the Ox to carry it across the river. Other lore says the Rat just jumped into the ear or onto the Ox and the Ox allowed the rat to stay. When they got across the river and/or close to the finish line, the Rat jumped off the Ox and the Ox came in second place. For all my Chinese New Year Posts including the story of the Rat check out the Category Chinese New Year.
References: Want to know why I chose a Banteng to represent an Ox? Check out Professor Yu Jiang and Professor Chuzhao Lei articles: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440313003166 https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/posts/34309-where-is-the-chinese-yellow-cattle-from The Heavenly Race Jade Emperor/Buddha's Race https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/ox/ https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/story.htm https://wehavekids.com/parenting/Chinese-Zodiac-Story https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/ https://wehavekids.com/parenting/Chinese-Zodiac-Story#gid=ci026c487c100027c9&pid=chinese-zodiac-story-MTc0NTk0MTgyMTY5MzA3MTI2 https://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/ChineseNewYear/ChineseNewYearDay9.asp https://chinesenewyear.net/myths/ Happy Belated Chinese New Year Everyone! February 12, 2021 was the start of the year of the Ox!
The Ox is the second animal in the Chinese Zodiac lore to complete the Jade Emperor's Heavenly Race. (A story for next week when I do the close ups pictures). In Chinese culture, oxen (aka domesticated cattle) were very important to agriculture. These animals and the farmers who cared for them were seen as being very hardworking, reliable, and modest. The design for my Ox's main body is based on the Banteng, a wild cattle found in Southeastern Asian rather than a domesticated ox or cow. This is because it's hard to find reference photos of Yellow Cattle (or Yanbian taurine cattle) but also because of an interesting article I read by Professor Yu Jiang and Professor Chuzhao Lei. These professors investigated the origins of the domesticated Chinese cattle. In their article, they talked about there being more than 50 breeds of cattle native to China. A good potion of those breeds are yellow so they have been collectively referred to as "Yellow cattle". One of their findings was "Chinese indicine [humped cattle] acquired 2.93% of their genomes from banteng (Bos javanicus), a wild cattle historically distributed in South China and Southeast Asia, with yellow-brown pigment." References: Professor Yu Jiang and Professor Chuzhao Lei articles https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440313003166 https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/posts/34309-where-is-the-chinese-yellow-cattle-from The Heavenly Race Jade Emperor/Buddha's Race https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/ox/ https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/story.htm https://wehavekids.com/parenting/Chinese-Zodiac-Story https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/ https://wehavekids.com/parenting/Chinese-Zodiac-Story#gid=ci026c487c100027c9&pid=chinese-zodiac-story-MTc0NTk0MTgyMTY5MzA3MTI2 https://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/ChineseNewYear/ChineseNewYearDay9.asp https://chinesenewyear.net/myths/ https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/rat/ https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/story.htm https://depts.washington.edu/triolive/quest/2007/TTQ07030/mythology.html Looking back on 2020, I reached so many goals with all of your help. 2020 was my first full year of posting my artwork on Instagram. With your encouragement, I created 33 art pieces, far more than 8 in 2019. I got to share my designs with so many more people than 2019 and more than 200 of you followed me to see more designs!
There were also a few goals I didn’t reach. I wanted to create merchandise and prints to get my artwork into your hands but, unfortunately, it didn't work out in 2020. Thank goodness for 2021 and renewed and new goals! What creative goals (renewed or new) do you want to pursue for 2021? |
Artist and Blogger
I'm just a doodling artist. My current style started in a lecture class at MCLA where I began doodling in my notebooks. Now I've started a new series focusing on animals. Archives
April 2021
Categories
All
|