Several websites have variations of this urban legend.
There was a malaria outbreak.
They sprayed with DDT.
It killed wasps that kept catepillars from eating the thatched roofs of the local homes.
Roofs fell in.
So the WHO parachuted 14thousand cats to eat the catepillars.
A longer variation of the legend is found here, which says that the cats were sent in to replace the local cats who died from DDT from eating gekkos who ate bugs.
Urban legend, of course. Gekkos would have killed the catepillars, and cats eat gekkos but there are no other reports of DDT killing mammals (the scare was that it weakened bird eggs, leading to a "silent spring".)
But like other "urban legends" it's amusing
(headsup DarkroastedblendBlog)
No comments:
Post a Comment