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    Why did US Secret Service Agents abandon plans approved by President Franklin Roosevelt to drop live cats from airplanes to frighten the Japanese during World War II?

    Question #15303. Asked by Maggie. (Dec 27 01 12:27 AM)


    Son of The Household Cavalry

    Daft as this one seems I have found something of a similar vein you may find interesting - Side Effects
    Consider what happened in Borneo in the 1950s. Many Dayak villagers had malaria, and the World Health Organization had a solution that was simple and direct. Spraying DDT seemed to work: Mosquitoes died, and malaria declined. But then an expanding web of side effects started to appear. The roofs of people's houses began to collapse, because the DDT had also killed tiny parasitic wasps that had previously controlled thatch-eating caterpillars. The colonial government issued sheet-metal replacement roofs, but people couldn't sleep when tropical rains turned the tin roofs into drums. Meanwhile, the DDT-poisoned bugs were being eaten by geckoes, which were eaten by cats. The DDT invisibly
    built up in the food chain and began to kill the cats. Without the cats, the rats multiplied. The World Health Organization, threatened by potential outbreaks of typhus and sylvatic plague, which it had itself
    created, was obliged to parachute fourteen thousand live cats into Bor-neo. Thus occurred Operation Cat Drop, one of the odder missions of the British Royal Air Force.


    Dec 28 01, 11:06 AM


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