Does
Mother Nature have something a little creeeeepy for you for Halloween? You bet
she does. She wouldn’t miss out on the fun, would she?
Begin
by picturing a little lake. It’s not a huge lake. It’s in a ravine in the wilderness
of the African nation of Tanzania, not far from the border of Kenya. You’ve come to Lake Natron.
Now,
imagine that lake is bright, bright pink. Vivid waives swirl and splosh around
in startlingly bright pinky-ness.
Suddenly,
a cold chill rushes down your spine, because along the edge of the lake, you
see them – bats, birds, critters – frozen in mid-action, each entirely and
permanently encased in hard, grey stone. The story goes that this eerie lake is
such that, the minute the animals touch the water, they turn into cold, stone
statues.
I hate
so much to burst that eerie bubble, but the scientists say it’s not quite like
that. Lake Natron does not instantly turn animals to stone. In fact the water
is full of life. And I do mean full! This lake is the only regular breeding
site in this part of Africa for the 2.5 million lesser flamingos. That’s a
whole lot of flamingos! There are times when the lake is just a sea of pink
feathers and skinny legs! The flamingos like the place because it happens to be
in an environment that makes it difficult for predators to reach. It also
happens to be rich in the food that the birds like.
So it
would seem that the whole business about animals turning to stone is just a
tale - - except for one small thing. The stone animals really exist!
A
photographer was exploring along the lake, when he found them stuck in the
muck. Naturally, given his profession, he made some pictures. Some very eerie,
creepy pictures. (Shudder!)
So how
does it happen? Where did these stone animals come from? Well, the lake is
very, very high in minerals. This is just its natural state as a result of
where it’s located. The surrounding area drops the minerals into the water.
This is what causes that pinkish color of the lake. When animals are
unfortunate enough to die the water, the minerals in the lake collect and
encase the animals. It’s a little less fun than the spine-tingling rumor, but
it’s still a bit creepy.
Even
scarier, however, is the wanton destruction of another one of Mother Nature’s
wonders. Local logging operations are threatening the salinity levels of the
lake which would, of course, have an impact all the living things that call the
lake home. But more, the authorities are planning a water plant on the lake’s
shores. The plan is to take the water out of the lake and process it in order
to sell the minerals. This operation would include a large human settlement to accommodate
the workers, which means people and all their by-products everywhere. As if
this wasn’t enough, they’re planning to introduce a foreign species of shrimp
that will, somehow, assist in this operation. I wonder if they’ve studied the
impact of this shrimp on the rest of the ecosystem? Experts say there’s little
chance the flamingos or other species could possibly continue under such
conditions and, as this is the primary nursery for the flamingos, they could be
looking at extinction.
Of
course, I realize people need to work. I don’t begrudge them that. And I realize we need certain products to function
in life.
There
just has to be a way to do it without damaging the earth in our wake.
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