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Koalas Gone Wild
Mabon writes "CNN reports that 30,000 of the starving animals are destroying the ecosystem by stripping away the greenery. The Austrailian government proposes shooting some 20,000 of them to reduce the amount of gum trees used by the animals."
Here's a picture of 'lucky' by the way: Here
Seriously--if you have to kill them anyway, why waste all that meat? Besides there's plenty of carnivores like me who'd be interested in trying them out for no other reason than culinary curiosity. Other places have taken similar steps: Lousiana has a problem with damage done by nutria (think sorta like a muskrat) that was once prized as a furbearer but now is regarded as an invasive species and as a nuisance. The solution provided by the website: "The Coastwide Nutria Control Program, paired with the promotion of nutria meat as a high-protein, low-fat food source, is the main hope for Louisiana's coast." Yum.
The government proposes shooting 20,000 of them
That would be a pretty damned expensive operation. Factoring in:
=+=1000's of litres of gas for jeeps to track the koalas.
=+=hiring people to shoot the koalas - unless its done by volunteers.
=+=25000 rounds of ammo. Hunters may miss the koala, or hit it in a non-critical area (legs, arms). Where's an aimbot when you need one?
=+=hauling of 20000 dead koalas. A few solid transport trucks should do the trick.
Their best bet would be to sell off the dead koalas to make back some of the money. Koala Burgers anyone?
Frink: Nice try floyd, but you were designed for scrubbing, and scrubbing is what you shall do.
Koalas are the only animal that doesn't drink water. Their diet consists entirely of Eucalyptus leaves, and they will only eat leaves from a small area around which they were born (hence Koalas cannot be relocated, 'cause they starve). Their bodies have evolved to cope with a diet of toxic leaves by becoming slower. Their brains are shrinking so they consume less energy, and can devote more of their metabolism to coping with the Eucalyptus content of their diet. So I'm guessing that Koala meat, even if it isn't toxic, would taste disgusting. Eucalyptus flavoured meat that will probably kill you? No thanks. But then again... those Japanese are really Fugu...
Putting syrup in coffee is some form of blasphemy.