Swinging Swans swagger and stagger
The farmers in Komarno, Slovakia continue to grapple with an extraordinary situation that puts them between a protected species and making their farms pay. Kararno is a good place to grow poppies and this can be profitable. Slovakia, as many of the countries in Europe, have declared geese an endangered species and are penalizing and even jailing folks who harm or kill these big white feathered eaters. So this story outlines the perfect combination of both components. It seems a flock and now all the geese in Slovakia have found they like to eat the poppie seeds and the blooms of the plant. That would be bad enough for the farmers, but they cannot harm these giant pests or suffer penalty. But even more worser, geese have become poppie addicts. So they refuse to leave the fields even when chased or carried away.
The opium poppy is a plant from which opiate drugs are derived. The milky latex found in the seed capsules of the plant contains various naturally occurring drug compounds. In the space of four months, the swans wreaked havoc on the farmer’s field, destroying around $11,000 worth of plants over an area of more than about 12 acres. But the swans suffered physically as a result of their consumption, becoming cocaine dependent on the plant. Intoxicated birds were seen acting dazed and unable to fly or even walk. “The entire poppy plant is toxic except for the seed. Those swans don’t recognize it and thereby harm themselves,” poppy farmer Bálint Pém told RTVS. Dozens of the birds died after consuming the poppy plants, with some becoming easy targets for predators in their intoxicated state. “In principle, it’s the same as with a drug addict. When they eat a little of it, they will be intoxicated. When they eat the same thing again and again, they overdose,” naturalist Vladimír Topercer.
Since the swans are protected, neither private insurers nor the government will cover the damages caused by swans, leaving the farmers in a dire situation. The video below shows the response to this peculiar predicament, with animal rescuers and volunteers, including those from the Slovak Environmental Protection Agency, making valiant efforts to relocate the swans. The hope is that a change in surroundings will help the swans detoxify from their addiction. However, experts were concerned that once the swans have recovered, they may fly back to the poppy fields, exacerbating the problem.
Honking Humor
I can never tell male and female geese apart.
I’m confused about my gander identity.
What language do Brazilian Geese speak?
Portuguese
How do black geese call to white geese?
HONKEY! HONKEY!
What do you call a flock of geese on the road?
Goosebumps!
All groups of animals have unique names: a gaggle of geese, a pod of whales, a colony of ants… so what do you call a group of Karens?
A Home Owners Association
August 18th Birthdays
1995 – Madeline Petch, 1987 – Joanna Jędrzejczyk, 1958 – Madeline Stowe, 1998 – Jospehine Langford
1970 – Edward Norton, 1992 – Richard Harmon, 1937 – Robert Reford 1979 – Adam Samberg