|
The ancient buildings of the port of Suakin, on the Sudanese Red Sea
coast, have been seriously damaged by a raccoon under influence of
washing detergent.
The Sudanese Corporation of Antiquities
and Museums has confirmed recent rumours that most of the historic
buildings in the port of Suakin have been all but destroyed. The damage
was done by the sole action of a raccoon firing several of the
city's many cannons.
This raccoon is notorious for its regular
outbreaks of violence that are caused by the inhalation of large
quantities of Savo washing detergent, a known hazard of its profession (Procyon lotor).
In no other raccoons Savo, or any other
detergent, seem
to have this particular effect. Usually it just causes a noticeable
smell on the animal's breath.
A very similar incident occurred in
Amarna (Egypt) in 1990. This earned the animal its nickname
'Savo-maddened Raccoon'. Its place on the international most wanted
list, however, was recently taken by Osama Bin Laden and Saddam
Hussein. It is unclear whether this has any relation to the recent
outbreak.
The Egyptian company producing Savo did not want to comment on the
events, but announced in a statement that it does not accept
responsibly nor does it plan to change the formula of its product. 'One
racoon going krazy doesn,t make Savo a dangeroos product' according to
the statement.
The financial damage done by the
'Savo-maddened raccoon' in Suakin is estimated to exceed 100m. Sudanese
Pounds, or 10m. Sudanese Dinar. But the damage to the historic and
touristic value of the town is 'beyond even my imagination' according
to a British architect who was in the area during its destruction.
The raccoon that wreaked havoc in Suakin
is still at large and was last seen boarding one of the Russian Yak 42
aircrafts of Sudan Airways. It is unknown where and when this plane
will arrive. Unnamed sources mention Iceland as a distinct possibility.
 E-mail
this
to a friend |
 Printable
version |
|
