DAY 132 - Animal Crossing

On yesterday's hike, we noted a couple of signs that gave us pause to consider the strange animals that may lurk in the hedgerows and woodlots we regularly pass.

You will see from the signs accompanying this post that for some reason, all of these animals are humped. The Brits go to great lengths to protect these poor creatures from becoming road kill, and there seems to be specific ways needed to protect each type of animal.

The Humped Toucan needs to be protected with a traffic light at places were two can cross: the killer cyclist and the predatory pedestrian.

To protect the Humped Zebra , the Brits paint alternating dark and light stripes on the road. Now my initial thought was that this would camouflage the poor zebra, but on thinking about it more I'm guessing the fact that the stripes are across the entire road may actually make the zebra look huge. With the number of drunk drivers on the road, that just might work and could explain the fact that there are more single car accidents on country roads than there are multi-car accidents on highways.

The Humped Pelican must not be able to fly, because you see these crossings everywhere! A standard set of traffic lights face oncoming traffic. A push button and two illuminated, coloured pictograms face pedestrian from across the road. A red, stationary person indicates that it's unsafe to cross, and a green, walking person indicates it's safe to do so. The signs often let out a sharp beep or they vibrate. I'm guessing this is to "call" the pelican across and most likely is imitating the sound they make. I've never heard a Humped Pelican in the wilds of the English countryside, but I did see a lot of Hinterlands Who's Who as a kid, so I'm feeling pretty confident in my prediction. However, I am in awe that the pelican knows enough to push the button when it wants to cross. Will wonders never cease?

While all of these animals are elusive (perhaps other animals cruelly make fun of their humps), we did come across a rather odd looking mixed-breed animal yesterday. Apparently ponies are being crossed with lions...although the purpose of that does elude me. Any guesses?