Status: True
A story about the threat to hippos posed by consumers buying strawberries out of season appeared
in a few papers last week. Because of the story's proximity to April Fool's Day, it seemed like it might have been a joke, but apparently it wasn't. The reasoning behind the warning is that Kenya is a major supplier of strawberries to Europe. But in order to keep up with the demand for year-round strawberries, Kenyan farmers are draining Lake Naivasha, which is home to thousands of hippos. So if you buy fresh strawberries in the middle of winter, you may end up causing the death of a hippo in Kenya. Dr. Harper, of the University of Leicester notes:
"Almost everybody in Europe who has eaten Kenyan beans or Kenyan strawberries, and gazed at Kenyan roses, has bought Naivasha water. It will become a turgid, smelly pond with impoverished communities eking out a living along bare shores."
Just something to feel guilty about as you enjoy your strawberries and cream.
Comments
Actually, it's the greenies who want to save and share everything enjoyable, and stop the greedy few from pissing over it all. There wouldn't be much left to enjoy on this planet if pollution and exploitation didn't keep finding opposition from the greenies.
Enjoy your strawberries in season, Francois! When they're out of season, there'll be something else to enjoy. Enjoy your life! There's still plenty for everybody ... so far.
Dang tree huggers do just as much damage to the environment as those they point the finger at. Fact is, they spend so much time blaming everybody else, that they never realise it...
They'll destroy a forest themselves to make the paper to print the propaganda flyers to tell the world about the forest the other guy destroyed to make the labels he'll put on his product that the tree hugger uses on a daily basis...
it's like child labor, who cares about the kids? We get cheaper stuff, and we probably use those products all the time without knowing anyways. So what we don't know won't hurt us, =P keep making those little kids work! rock on!
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Which is sarcasm of course ^_^ I'll always buy the fruits that are in season, shouldn't make other animals suffer because of our sweet cravings. Before you do the whole: you used a paper bag/paper product lalala, think the same for child labor products before you speak =)
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On the subject of environmentalists, though - jeez, it's a question of scale. It's quite sensible to suggest favouring in-season vruits and veg (shit, they even taste better) and a sensitivity to the environment on that level really shouldn't have anyone frothing at the mouth...
OK, there are bound to be some double standards involved - the real world forces compromise. Drawing theline somewhere this side of wanton disregard for our environment is a good thing, no? But then I'm guessing that Christopher in Joplin is the kind of anti-environmentalist who figures that ecological diversity should be left to market forces (the modern equivalent of 'God will know his own').
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We now return you to your scheduled programming.
Rage? Quite the opposite. I merely pointed out the IRONY of the situation. Making a point by pointing out the absurdity of the original story - an environmentalist will allow themselves to have their cake and eat it too, as long as nobody else is watching from outside their 'group'... 😊 (note the smiley - again- NO RAGE)
Please understand that we're not all like PETA or Greenpeace, and that some of us stand up for animals for religious reasons, or even just because it's common sense to care for other living creatures. Going out of your way to insult environmental activists is a waste of your time and effort.
butt have any of you thought about ourr health? If we didn't eat strawberries in the winter, then we couldd get really ill. i have nothing against hippo's butt we are at the top of the fooodd chain, and we are the dominatingg species. 😊