Pablo Escobar's hippos, & dog riots in India | #123
TWO online quizzes for you 👉 👉
Hello folks,
Disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson, was stripped of his 1988 Olympic gold and was banned for life in 1993. He tried to capitalize on his past by appearing in an ad for an energy drink - Cheetah Power Surge. The ad is a mock interview between Ben Johnson and the President of the company that makes the drink. The President asks - “Ben, when you run, do you Cheetah?" to which Johnson responds - “I Cheetah all the time.”
Why the above paragraph - well on the grand occasion of our Prime Minister’s 72nd birthday, the cheetah were “reintroduced” back in India after 70 years. The record of reintroducing a species in a region is quite spotty. (Cheetah - spotty… see what we did there 😏) This week’s newsletter is dedicated to instances where species were introduced into new regions and had some interesting consequences.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
Choughs, wrens, cormorants, owls, nightingales, larks… these aren’t just random bird names, but feature prominently in Shakespeare’s works. One bright fellow decided that United States should have all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works and introduced 60 starlings into Central Park New York. Starlings are a nuisance and they are one of the few species in the US not protected by law. These birds of feathers flock together to form dense clusters and have caused aircraft crashes. They also pick out the best grains for themselves, meaning cows don't get fed properly. Wish someone had said to the Starlings - you are bard from the USA.
Starling at the sun
Columbia is trying to forget Pablo Escobar, but his hippos won't let them do so. When drugs rolled in cash for Pablo, he decided to build a zoo for himself and got hippos from Africa. When he died, other animals in the zoos were removed and sent to private zoos, but given their size, the hippos were just left in the wild. The hope was that they would die - but instead they thrived. With no natural predator, Hippos have multiplied and ecologists are terrified of this ecological time-bomb - they have caused native species to be extinct, have changed the chemical composition of water which has impacted fishes. Some species in South America would have been safe, if it weren’t for this Medellín Kid.
Talking of hippos, in the early 20th century, there was a bill introduced in the US Congress to bring hippo ranching into the country. The reason - they wanted hippos to get rid of another invasive species - the water hyacinth. Water hyacinths were supposedly introduced in the US during the world’s fair, but had created a nuisance. They blocked waterways and killed a lot of marine animals. The hippos would get rid of water hyacinths and would also serve as a source of good meat. Shockingly, the US Congress rejected a bill that would allow immigrants to help solve a problem, something they have never done before or ever after.
From IWTK, with love 💌
How far can you go to protect some good boys? The Parsis of Bombay took to the streets to protect them. The CuriousCase of the Dog Riots of Bombay.
A landmark in Chennai called Vivekanandar Illam is one of the reasons why India has ice-cream. Our thread.
This is an important landmark in Chennai - it is called Vivekandar Illam as Swami Vivekananda stayed here when he visited Chennai. But old timers call it ice house and it is one of the reasons why India has ice creams. An interesting tale. 👇
Quiz Alert 🔎
The famous IIM Ahmedabad Red Brick Quiz Bowl is coming up, in collaboration with India Wants To Know-India's First Panel Quiz Show.
We are presenting two spectacular online quizzes for you at the fest :
Pop Ki Kamai- The Ultimate Pop Culture Open Quiz 🎦
Date: Friday, September 30, 2022Time: 4 PM on Zoom
General Open Quiz 🤡
Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022
Time: 3PM on Zoom
*Exciting Prizes for all the winners*
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Stay hydrated,
❤️ IWTK