3s Ill-fated attractions come (and go) in W
HAT do a black swan, about 5 000 fish and a giant Christmas goat have in common? They are all ill-fated and shortlived tourist attractions that saw their demise this week.
The goat fell to arsonists, the fish to rights activists (though, admittedly, they were already dead) and the swan to superstition.
But first, the goat — actually, the giant Christmas goat made of straw, which is erected every year in the Swedish town of Gävle …
Since 1966, the goat, an oversized version of the traditional Swedish yule goat, has been erected in the town square at Christmas time. Pretty much from the beginning, though, it’s been a magnet for arsonists.
The very first Gävle Goat was destroyed on New Year’s Eve in 1966, and ever since, burning the goat has become a naughty tradition.
Though the town has put efforts in place to protect it, this year it was burnt down less than 24 hours after it was erected.
The straw-and-wood structure was put up last Sunday.
Last year the poor goat survived until December 27 before arsonists set it alight, marking the 35th time in 50 years it has gone up in flames.
Reports say the attackers struck when the guard took a toilet break.
Meanwhile, a black-swan sculpture in Beijing was removed only hours after its unveiling because of fears it could bring bad luck to the markets.
On Monday, the enormous swan was placed inside the entrance of a fancy, financial district shopping mall — across the road from China’s Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). It nested there for half a day before being shooed away.
In financial circles, a black swan represents a highly unlikely and unpredictable event, not the best terms to investors.
In June, a statue of a popular cartoon bear was removed from outside the same shopping centre after officials complained it appeared to be sticking its middle finger up at the CSRC building.
Also, the term “bear market” refers to falling share prices and widespread selling.
And finally, a Japanese ice rink has shut down just two weeks after it opened after a public furore about its unique selling point.
The Space World theme park, in Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture, opened in early November, with a concept at least someone had thought was a good idea.
The ice rink had about 5 000 fish and sea creatures frozen beneath the surface and was punted as “the world’s first aquarium on ice”.
The frozen fish bodies had been arranged to spell out “Hello” and direct skaters around the rink.
Organisers reportedly hoped it would be a good way to teach visitors about sea life while they skated. They claim the fish were bought from a local market and were already dead when they were frozen in the ice. Some larger fish, such as whale sharks, were represented with photographs under the surface.
Space World manager Toshimi Takeda told CNN that the attraction had been “very popular” in its first two weeks with an “unprecedented number of visitors”.
However, the public backlash started quickly on social media. One person commented, “This really makes me upset. Do you think children are happy to see this?” Another said, “You have no soul.”
Last week, Space World announced it would close the ice rink until further notice.
“We deeply apologise to all who had unpleasant feelings about the ice aquarium.”
Japanese media reports that the park will melt the ice, remove the fish and hold a memorial service for them before they are re-used as fertiliser.