“I do believe it, I do believe it’s true”…Paul Simon
According to the daily New York Times coronavirus report, “without humans around, Sri Lanka’s zoo animals enjoy a pandemic baby boom.” The director general of Sri Lanka’s Department of National Zoological Gardens, Ishini Wickremesinghe, said “animals are actually having a less-stress and relaxed time with no people around.” Wisely, the zoo was closed during the entire Covid pandemic, no rushed reopening.
On the other hand, the BBC says “for those who thought that lockdown would leave couples with little else to do than procreate, there was a surprise - not a baby boom but a baby bust. Research shows that the US is facing the biggest slump in births in a century and in parts of Europe the decline is even steeper.”
The animal population of course doesn’t have to deal with the anxiety wrought by Populist Nationalism throughout the world, or insurrections such as the one on Jan. 6, QAnon insanity, and their sophists, including the ex-President and many of the elected officials in Florida.
Is it any wonder that fully vaccinated people in Florida lag places such as Massachusetts by a substantial amount (39% vs. 54%)? The Sri Lanka animals must be high-fiving it, celebrating that DeSantis is not their Governor, and having some fun while at it.
The birth pattern makes an interesting dichotomy. Let the animals inherit the earth. The human species is proving we don’t deserve it, polluting the environment and choosing mendacity over veracity.
“O-rang-u-tans are skep-ti-cal”
