I just read a sad story about an elephant called Kerala who died after eating a pineapple filled with fireworks. I had to read that again because it made me go "ate a what?"
@GcL And what's weird about the story is that they apparently use exploding pineapples to get rid of boars. (I wonder if they have the same problem with feral hogs that we have in Texas - they run amok in the southern half of the state, and there is no limit nor license required to hunt them. Big varmints, more or less).
@KorvinStarmast Boars are no joke for sure. I imagine the issue with hogs in Texas involves them gaining possession of a small arsenal that was left for the children to play/learn with, but was left unattended?
Also, this is such a Not A Bar conversation.
@KorvinStarmast I would be surprised if there were a license beyond yelling "they're coming right for us" to shoot at virtually anything there. /S
@Rubiksmoose Can you cast teleportationcircleconversation ?
@GcL I just noticed this. Also illegal to hunt boars, but it was a bit further down in the article. In the forest fringes, there have been reports of crackers and country-bombs being used to trap and kill pigs and other wild animals. It’s illegal too, so we’re not belittling it. But it could be a possibility that the elephant accidentally ate it,” said the officer
Last time I hunted white tail deer, had to get a license and that season the limit was two, no spikes.
@KorvinStarmast Yeah. I get it. Farmers and ranchers want to earn a living. I just find it particularly sad when the economics of an area incentivizes that sort of thing.
(I helped a guy get a job with Texas parks and wildlife, flying light aircraft. Part of what they do is game herd surveys. If the herds are small, limits go down. If the herds get too large, they can declare a supplemental season in January, but that means you have to get a second license for the supplemental)
@KorvinStarmast We've got a deer overpopulation issue. Some cities pay people to cull deer. I voted for re-importing a pack or two of wolves, but that only got like 2% of the vote.
@GcL feral hog tastes pretty much like pork, a little gamey, if you field dress it immediately. Smokes over mesquite with peppers and cumin is a nice way to eat it.
@GcL I like the wolf idea, but they won't stop at dear. Down here, coyotes head into neighborhoods and eat small dogs and cats who people leave out doors.
@GcL Yeah, though watching a pride of lions take down some wildebeasts demonstrates how hard it is regardless of size, even for alpha predators
@KorvinStarmast Probably less nice to eat when contaminated with explosives. I find the salt and oxide byproducts of explosives leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Some of my Latino friends raise hounds who are purpose bread to take down feral hogs. It's a centuries old tradition. They work in teams. But most folks I know use a .270 or 30/30 and shoot em.
@KorvinStarmast Unattended animals are at risk. Also, cats shouldn't be allowed outdoors. I love them, but holy heck are they little furry murderballs. They murder for fun, or when they're bored, or when it's sunny, or because the sun went down, or just to show you they can.
@GcL yeah, they'd fit right into some D&D games. 8^p
Not sure my history is right, but I think the feral hogs are all descended from some pigs/boars who came over with the Spanish in the late 1500s or early 1600s ... need to check on that. I remember hearing that years ago.
@MarkWells Yeah. Also don't apply for a grant to engineer drones with literal bear arms. They don't even get to the section about the aerodynamic stability benefits of fur before they deny you.
@GcL yeah, FAA has rarely been fun to talk to. When I was flying in the Navy we had all kinds of meeting with them about airspace usage and volume and such. Never anything but dread ... blah.
