Icy ‘Circus’ Leaves Prince Cool

Prince Philip appeared to be swimming against the tide of popular opinion when he dismissed the costly rescue of two gray whales trapped off northern Alaska as a “circus act.” “It was, I think, in many ways counterproductive,” said Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II and president of the World Wide Fund for Nature. The October rescue of the whales, trapped by ice before they could continue on their annual migration to Mexico, cost more than $1 million and grabbed worldwide attention. A third whale disappeared and presumably died. “You have got to see it as a circus act or an act of entertainment. In that sense it was highly successful,” he said at a luncheon of the Assn. of American Correspondents in London. Philip, who since 1981 has been president of the fund, formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund, complained that the rescue effort gave people a false impression that “they are doing something about conservation of nature.” He said the resources devoted to the effort could have been used for “very much more positive things.”

--Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher scrambled to end an egg poisoning scare in Britain by announcing her lunch menu. “After reading carefully statements of the chief medical officer . . . I then decided to have scrambled egg on toast for lunch--and I enjoyed it,” she told the House of Commons. Thatcher made her statement three days after Junior Health Minister Edwina Currie said most British eggs are infected with salmonella bacteria, which can cause food poisoning. Government and opposition politicians have accused Currie of scaremongering. Figures show dozens of salmonella cases linked to eggs. However, officials said chances were slim of being poisoned by one of the 9 billion eggs eaten annually in Britain.

--Willie B could be an inspiration to couch potatoes everywhere. Zoo Atlanta’s silver-back gorilla spent most of his 30 years in a cage built for chimpanzees in the primate house. He appeared so bored that zoo staff gave him a television set to help pass the time. But he still did not seem happy. In April, Willie B was released into a new outdoor habitat and is taking advantage of the extra space to do some gorilla-style exercise. In his first physical since the release, Willie weighed 440 pounds, down from 459 pounds, zoo veterinarian Dr. Rita McManamon said. “We feel it is due to more psychological stimulation and physical activity in the outdoor environment,” McManamon said.