I think it’s a case of…
…where there’s a will, there’s a way.
The most heartwarming line in the article: “Stacey Belhumeur, a Tucson, Arizona, zookeeper and species survival plan coordinator for the North American population of giant anteaters, [said], “My guess is they thought they had him separated … We’ve had animals breed through fences.”
Just substitute “anteater” for “muskrat” and you’ve got it:
This brings to mind a story from my checkered past. It concerns Naval Station Subic Bay/NAS Cubi Point in the Philippines. When the STD rate got too high, the Admiral closed the base. No more sailors going into the tempting environs of Olongapo, the Pearl of the Pacific.
Three things happened. After one month of the base being closed, the rate of STDs went up. Several brawls requiring tear gas to shut them down occurred. The Filipino businessmen in Olongapo were all rapidly going broke.
The brawls were explainable. Caged men and animals often get restive. The increase in the STDs? How did that happen? A bit of sleuthing revealed that the Filipina call girls were meeting the sailors at the chain link fence that surrounded the base.
A solution was required. The Navy teamed up with the local Filipino businessmen (bar owners) to institute a system of weekly STD checks for their “hostesses.” Girls who didn’t pass were not allowed to work until they were healthy again. With this system in place the gate was opened.
The result? The rate of STDs went down. There were no more on base brawls. The Filipino businesses were saved. Win, win, win!
No thanks for bringing back what is one of the most insipid recordings of the 20th century. 😉
My candidate for the worst love song ever. “I compare our love not to that of dove that soars through the heavens but of a stinky, greasy rodent that lives in a swamp.” Yup, whoever wrote that song was a real romantic.