Was it a slow news week, or what? I don't know how else to explain major media coverage over the past few days of SaveToby.com, the Web site where a helpless bunny named Toby is being threatened with fricassee unless his owner collects $50,000 in ransom via PayPal, and Hogzilla, the (allegedly) 1,000-pound feral hog immortalized in a snapshot seen 'round the world after it was bagged and strung up from a backhoe by a Georgia hunter last summer. Both items have been the subject of heavy skepticism.
The Washington Post succeeded where others have failed in getting the operator of the behated "Save Toby" site to speak for the record, albeit under a pseudonym. "We've received hundreds of death threats," acknowledged "James" when asked about the public uproar over the project. Does he really plan on eating the rabbit if he doesn't receive $50,000 in donations by June 30? "There's no doubt about it," he told Post reporter David Segal. Amassing that sum may prove more difficult now that PayPal has canceled the Save Toby account, which they concluded violates the "offensive materials" clause of their Terms of Service. Does "James" really, truly mean it, or is it a prank? My money's still on the latter, though PETA isn't happy about it either way.
As for Hogzilla, none other than the New York Times republished the famed trophy photo of hog hunter Christopher Griffin standing beside the giant, tusked behemoth he (purportedly) felled with a single shot last June in conjunction with a story about the upcoming National Geographic TV special announcing the results of a scientific inquiry into the earthshaking incident. A team of forensic investigators measured Hogzilla's exhumed corpse and took DNA samples in hopes of determining whether he was, in fact, an unusually large specimen of wild hog, a smaller-than-advertised version of same, or a farm-bred pig on the loose. The show airs Sunday, May 19, 2005 on the National Geographic Channel.
See also: Son of Hogzilla
The Washington Post succeeded where others have failed in getting the operator of the behated "Save Toby" site to speak for the record, albeit under a pseudonym. "We've received hundreds of death threats," acknowledged "James" when asked about the public uproar over the project. Does he really plan on eating the rabbit if he doesn't receive $50,000 in donations by June 30? "There's no doubt about it," he told Post reporter David Segal. Amassing that sum may prove more difficult now that PayPal has canceled the Save Toby account, which they concluded violates the "offensive materials" clause of their Terms of Service. Does "James" really, truly mean it, or is it a prank? My money's still on the latter, though PETA isn't happy about it either way.
As for Hogzilla, none other than the New York Times republished the famed trophy photo of hog hunter Christopher Griffin standing beside the giant, tusked behemoth he (purportedly) felled with a single shot last June in conjunction with a story about the upcoming National Geographic TV special announcing the results of a scientific inquiry into the earthshaking incident. A team of forensic investigators measured Hogzilla's exhumed corpse and took DNA samples in hopes of determining whether he was, in fact, an unusually large specimen of wild hog, a smaller-than-advertised version of same, or a farm-bred pig on the loose. The show airs Sunday, May 19, 2005 on the National Geographic Channel.
See also: Son of Hogzilla
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