A little known breed, the Canus April Stultus, is now extinct in its native Botswana. The dog, who was known locally as the African Weiner dog, hunted the meerkat for food. And that, dear reader, is what led to its extinction. In Africa, the meerkat is a nuisance animal and this dog was controlling the natural population. Nature was in balance. Life was good.
In 2007, the world as this little dog knew it, changed forever! These people came along. Life was never the same for the Canus April Stultus. All of a sudden the meerkat was “cute”, “adorable”, and worst of all “highly photogenic”. The end was near. The finale came when the meerkats were discovered by Animal Planet…a TV show followed. The “cuteness” of the meerkats was reinforced by giving them names. They became the “Whiskers” family with “Flower” as their matriarch. By the time Meerkat Manor Season 4 was shown, the little dog was extinct. All his food was now being filmed. A tragic ending for a heroic animal.
Please, think twice before posting that excrutiatingly cute picture of an animal on the internet. Think of the Canus April Stultus. It’s the least we can do.
We should set aside a special day to mourn its passage. How about the first of April?