“In her glory days she reminded some of Marilyn Monroe, others of Raquel Welch…Her lips were full, sultry or sulking, her expression unblinking; she seldom smiled.”
(Benson, Aug 13th 2009. From The Economist print edition)
What do you think about this description? Surprisingly, it was not a human celebrity, but a UK superstar carp which passed away at the age of 25 in the beginning of this month. Benson the giant carp was at 64lb 2oz (29kg), the biggest common carp in Britain, although mirror carp do come larger. She was also very popular: in 2005 readers of Angler’s Mail voted her Britain’s Favourite Carp.
Benson was well known for she was the UK's most famous fish. But what made her so special, so adorable, was her generosity. Anglers would come from all over the country to her home lake, Kingfisher Lake in Cambridgeshire to catch her, weigh her, take her photograph and put her back again. And, she would show her hospitality by uncomplainingly submitting to the scales and then posing for the photographer, holding her breath and staying unmoved although her whole body’s weight tears her tongue like a razor blade when people hooks her to the limelight. It's estimated her graced the landing nets of more than 60 anglers, dusting them all with immortality. But no more. She was said to have taken a bait of uncooked tiger nuts and now, the angling world is in mourning.
There’s not much to explain why I choose this obituary. It's exceptional, that’s it. Maybe one of the most unusual, beautifully written, sensible and humorous articles I've ever read. And I love the bighearted carp Benson (though I have never seen her). As Benson was so famous that many people wanted to take picture with her, she must have been suffered from being caught so often. However, as Mr. Bridgefoot, the owner, she seemed happy on having her picture taken.
One more intriguing point about this obituary is the sense of a mysterious death. Carps can live to 60 or 70 while Benson was cut down in her prime. In fact, raw tiger nuts have been found on the banks. Unless these nuts are cooked and expertly prepared they can prove toxic to carp and the fear is that Benson could have been poisoned by one of her pursuers, accidentally or some anglers might have gone too far.
Apparently, Benson the carp could be a model for me in some way: her kindness and her ability of adapt to changes in life. And definitely not a model of greed to be poisoned by harmful nuts. I’m kidding. LOL
The presence of some irresponsible anglers who might have caused the death of Benson reminds me of Vietnam’s pollution destroying the natural world and threatening health, most of which caused by people’s irresponsibility such as the incident of Thi Vai river. Seeing a whole nation show their civility by how they treat their animals makes me wonder what people would do if there were such a big carp in Vietnam. They would make carp gruel before the fat carp is widely known, for sure =)).
The article reveals that Benson’s owner will keep her in deep freeze and open guided tours for people to come and pay respect to her. I would come there when I get to the UK, hopefully.
“Benson, carp, born 1984, died 2009. Leaves behind numerous widows, thousands of offspring and 60-odd lovelorn captors.” (John Bailey, The Guardian)
R.I.P, Benson.
(Benson, Aug 13th 2009. From The Economist print edition)
What do you think about this description? Surprisingly, it was not a human celebrity, but a UK superstar carp which passed away at the age of 25 in the beginning of this month. Benson the giant carp was at 64lb 2oz (29kg), the biggest common carp in Britain, although mirror carp do come larger. She was also very popular: in 2005 readers of Angler’s Mail voted her Britain’s Favourite Carp.
Benson was well known for she was the UK's most famous fish. But what made her so special, so adorable, was her generosity. Anglers would come from all over the country to her home lake, Kingfisher Lake in Cambridgeshire to catch her, weigh her, take her photograph and put her back again. And, she would show her hospitality by uncomplainingly submitting to the scales and then posing for the photographer, holding her breath and staying unmoved although her whole body’s weight tears her tongue like a razor blade when people hooks her to the limelight. It's estimated her graced the landing nets of more than 60 anglers, dusting them all with immortality. But no more. She was said to have taken a bait of uncooked tiger nuts and now, the angling world is in mourning. There’s not much to explain why I choose this obituary. It's exceptional, that’s it. Maybe one of the most unusual, beautifully written, sensible and humorous articles I've ever read. And I love the bighearted carp Benson (though I have never seen her). As Benson was so famous that many people wanted to take picture with her, she must have been suffered from being caught so often. However, as Mr. Bridgefoot, the owner, she seemed happy on having her picture taken.
One more intriguing point about this obituary is the sense of a mysterious death. Carps can live to 60 or 70 while Benson was cut down in her prime. In fact, raw tiger nuts have been found on the banks. Unless these nuts are cooked and expertly prepared they can prove toxic to carp and the fear is that Benson could have been poisoned by one of her pursuers, accidentally or some anglers might have gone too far.
Apparently, Benson the carp could be a model for me in some way: her kindness and her ability of adapt to changes in life. And definitely not a model of greed to be poisoned by harmful nuts. I’m kidding. LOL
The presence of some irresponsible anglers who might have caused the death of Benson reminds me of Vietnam’s pollution destroying the natural world and threatening health, most of which caused by people’s irresponsibility such as the incident of Thi Vai river. Seeing a whole nation show their civility by how they treat their animals makes me wonder what people would do if there were such a big carp in Vietnam. They would make carp gruel before the fat carp is widely known, for sure =)).
The article reveals that Benson’s owner will keep her in deep freeze and open guided tours for people to come and pay respect to her. I would come there when I get to the UK, hopefully.
“Benson, carp, born 1984, died 2009. Leaves behind numerous widows, thousands of offspring and 60-odd lovelorn captors.” (John Bailey, The Guardian)
R.I.P, Benson.
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