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Man Complains About Buddhas At KC Zoo
Overland Park Man Calls Statues 'Infuriating To God'
POSTED: 11:21 am CST January 14,
2009
UPDATED: 1:23 pm CST January 14,
2009
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Zoo has received a complaint about Buddha statues in an Asian-themed area.David Engle, of Overland Park, Kan., complained after visiting the zoo on Sunday. He said it's "phenomenal to me" that the zoo would put up two smiling statues of Buddha when "we can't have a cross or a nativity scene on public property."Engle, who said he is Christian, called the statues idolatry and "infuriating to God."Buddha is the name ascribed to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.Randy Wisthoff, zoo director since 2003, said he has never heard complaints about the statues before.He said they were bought a few years ago, along with concrete pagodas and a terra cotta warrior, to provide an Asian theme for the zoo's Tiger Trail, which was reopened in 2004.The Tiger Trail, formerly known as the Great Cat Walk, features red pandas, a variety of birds and binturong and a pair of Sumatran tigers.He plans to discuss the complaint with the zoo's board.
Copyright 2009 by KCTV5.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
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