The other day while Dani was playing with some of his animal toys I saw him putting finger puppets over the head of a Playmobil giraffe.

He had two finger puppets; a frog and a pig. He covered both of his Playmobil (Noah’s ark) giraffes. I thought they looked great. The creative mind of a child. Who else but a child would cross animals to make their own hybrid creatures in this way?

Well actually….

It made me think of an old story by H.G. Wells called the “Island of Dr. Moreau.” The book has been made into a film on more than one occasion. I can recall going to the cinema to see the movie starring But Lancaster and Michael York back in 1977. Like all good stories it has since been remade – as in 1996 starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer.

Back in the 70s the cinemas used to show a double bill. There would be the main feature plus a support film (B-movie). I can even remember the B-movie that was showing. It was called Clones (made in 1973). Another moral dilemma that was often discussed at that time – some 20 years before Dolly the sheep.

The book…

The novel is about one Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat and left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, The doctor creates human like creatures from animals by performing various surgical procedures. It’s a tale with a number of disturbing issues including pain, suffering and cruelty, moral responsibility, human identity, and humans interfering with nature. All in a day’s work for some no doubt.

What a great science fiction writer H.G. Wells was. That book wasn’t even written last century. It was the end of the century before that; way back in 1896!

I must start collecting some of his books for Dani to read when he is old enough.

Dani’s Beastly Creations

Dani’s ideas for hybrid beasts were quite clever because the last letter and first letter of the two animals coincides. So, we have two new species; a Frogiraffe and a Pigiraffe. He thought it was funny anyway.