AGR Photo – Hello Kitty

No More Hello Kitty

Gina knew before she took the job at the Belize Zoo that this gig would involve a certain amount of unpleasantness–people staring, it would be difficult to get a decent nap, the usual–but she had to lay down the law. Any young girl wearing a Hello Kitty shirt, dress, coveralls, hat or scarf would have to change before entering the zoo, and all Hello Kitty paraphernalia had to be left in the parking lot. And if they said “hello kitty” in any language, including American Sign Language, she got to eat them. . . . . David, Sf.G.

Elizabeth, a rare black jaguar, worked for the Belize Zoo. She realized and understood that in the tourist and hospitality industry you have to put up with people’s foibles and sometimes downright weirdness. But enough was enough–if one more tourist wiggled one of those “cutesy” little cat things in her face and said “Hello Kitty” she was going to jump the fence and eat both the toy and the person holding it. And no, she wasn’t interested in the half off offer of a Hello Kitty tattoo. . . . . David, Sf.G.