Is it possible for a beauty queen to insult a wild species of ox, or is imitation the sincerest form of flattery ?
(And how do the kouprey feel about this ?)

The latest 'Miss Grand Cambodia scandal':
Miss Grand Cambodia and the organizers of the event can do nothing right as far as angry Cambodian social media users are concerned; they are now accusing the beauty pageant production company of "disrespecting the national animal" by dressing up Miss Grand Cambodia as a Kouprey*.
*

kouprey
koo͞′prā″
noun
A large wild ox (Bos sauveli) of Cambodia, having a gray or blackish coat and, in the male, a large dewlap and long, spreading horns.

September 13, 2022
Outrage as Miss Grand Cambodia appears in Kouprey costume
Chhun Sunly / Khmer Times

Pich Votey Saravody and the controversial outfit on Miss Grand International stage. Facebook

Netizens are angry over the use of the national animal Kouprey in an outfit during the Miss Grand Cambodia pageant held recently.

Pich Votey Saravody was crowned as the Miss Grand Cambodia 2022 on August 27.

The organiser Mohahang Production was bombarded with 13,000 comments condemning the act of disrespecting the endangered national animal which is found in the northeast provinces.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts also expressed its concern over the incident. Ministry spokesman Long Bunna Sirivath said yesterday that it is not the first time that Miss Grand Cambodia, organised by Mohahang Production, is being criticised by people.

“The Mohahang Production was told to seek confirmation from the Ministry of Culture before putting anything that represents the country on the international stage,” said Sirivath, adding that the ministry did not receive any request from them regarding the costume.

Miss Grand Cambodia explained that Kouprey is seldom seen in northeast provinces and that is why the outfit was modelled on national animal Kouprey so that the world will also come to know about the rare animal of Cambodia.

The outfit was created with the purpose of promoting Sen Monorom coffee from the northeast provinces.

The contestant appeared on the stage in the outfit of Kouprey carrying a cup of coffee and spoon in her hands. However, the social media users are not in a mood to see it as promotional event.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501149571/ ... y-costume/

Miss Grand Cambodia explains that her outfit was modelled on the national animal, the Kouprey, in order to let people know about this rare Cambodian endangered species.




Meanwhile other costumes, very similar to this one, are considered to be in the best possible taste:

John Bingham wrote: ↑Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:27 am Endangered? Nobody has documented any living Kouprey since the early 80s.

^ Indeed.

No kouprey have been sighted since 1983.

The kouprey is believed to be extinct, or at best, the present (hypothetical) population would be so small that the species will inevitably become extinct; however, the kouprey is still listed as CR (critically endangered) but not extinct, by the IUCN.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kouprey

Kouprey | WWF
Population and Distribution
The only significant scientific observation of the Kouprey was made in 1957 when zoologist Charles Wharton studied and filmed the animal in the wild. Since that time, however, there have been few verified sightings of the animal. IUCN believes it likely that the kouprey is now extinct, with at best under 50 mature individuals remaining. This number does not represent a viable population.
https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focu ... s/kouprey/