The Gopher Hole Museum
Neatoramanaut Cat and Brat told us of a bizarre yet strangely compelling museum in central Alberta, Canada: The World Famous Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington. The main attraction of the museum are 47 dioramas featuring taxidermied gophers dressed up in various poses by artist Shelly Haase: Link – Thanks Cat & Brat!
RoadTrip America also has a review of the museum:
Ironically, it was not artistry, but politics and timing that generated the most publicity for the new enterprise. The Gopher Hole Museum opened its doors in 1996, and it wasn’t long before People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) got wind of the project. Voila. Instant world fame for the tiny hamlet of Torrington, Alberta. Even though it wasn’t what they had in mind, the citizens of Torrington aren’t complaining. They created the museum to increase tourism, and they don’t seem to mind at all if it’s PETA that gets the word out.
"The gophers are a tremendous problem for the farmers here," explained Angie. "We have to kill them. Is it so bad to put them on display afterwards?"
Previously on Neatorama:
- 10 Strange and Obscure American Museums
- Unexpected Places on the National Historic Landmark List
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Interesting Facts About Beavers
After watching a movie about beavers a few weeks ago, I became highly interested by their strange behaviors. I came to research a bit about the critters and came along some info that may be interesting to all of you readers out there. Personally, I’d like to see a Meerkat Manor-like show based on beaver’s lives. Do you think it would work?
Water is music to beaver ears
Or at least, music they can’t stand. The sound of running water is a beaver’s main motivator in building a dam. A scientist once performed a study where they placed speakers beside a beaver dam that were continually playing the sound of running water. The beavers built up their dams by the speaker until it effectively was silenced. The noise drives them mad. Source
Those darn dams
We all know beavers love their dams. In fact, by building their dams and changing river flows, they are change the world more than any other creature besides man. They’re quite good architects and take water flow into consideration when building, using straight dams on trickling waters and curved dams in raging rapids. They use these dams as protection from predators and as shelter throughout the winter. If a predator destroys part of the dam, it will be fixed overnight.
Also just like men, they won’t stop building until the job is done -resulting in some massively huge dams being built along large rivers. The largest beaver dam was over 2,750 feet long. These dams are the only animal-created structures that can be seen from space. Source
It’s Ok To Eat Beavers on Friday
No, that’s not a naughty sex innuendo. The 17th century Catholic Church actually declared beavers to be a fish according to dietary restrictions, meaning they are ok to eat on both Fridays and throughout Lent. Beaver meat was a common dish by Native Americans and French settlers to America, so the decision was believed to be important to these people’s behaviors. The church decisions are based more on an animal’s environment than their physical characteristics. Source
European and American Beavers Don’t Mix
Because the animals have a different number of chromosomes, they do not cross breed with one another. Russian scientists once tried to breed the two together. In 27 attempted experiments, they only had one semi-success and the baby still came out as a stillborn. Source
They’re Our Only Hope and They’re Terrible Pests
Beavers have an interesting role in the environment. Their dams trap sediments in the water, turning rushing rivers into peaceful wetlands. When the dams break, the sediment stays and rich meadows are formed. Some scientists claim beavers can help prevent drought and that they are our only chance and maintaining our precious wetlands. Source
On the other hand, beavers are notoriously destructive. They cause $100 million in property damage yearly and their re-working of river currents can cause massive floods on our nation’s farms. They have been known to destroy whole forests and one beaver couple almost took out a world-famous cherry tree forest in Washington D.C.. Source
My, What Nice Sex Organs You Have
Beaver sex organs have been used for traditional medicines for centuries. Their testicles and vaginal follicles can actually help with a few conditions, but mostly because the sailicin from the willow trees they eat turns into an aspirin-like salicylic acid with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. These same naughty beaver parts are still used in perfume production, you may have some beaver residue on you right now- particularly if you’re wearing any of these brands: Emeraude, Coty Chanel Cuir de Russie, Magie Noire, Lancôme Caractère, Hechter Madame, Carven, Givenchy III or Shalimar. Source
Canada Loves Them…But Almost Killed Them All
Beaver is the Canadian national animal and is depicted on the Canadian five cent piece and their first pictorial stamp issued in 1849. The beavers were highly loved in part due to their fur, which was widely sought after up until the mid-19th century. It was so widely adored that the animal was almost hunted to extinction in Canada. If the fur trade hadn’t stopped when it did, the Canadian national animal might be little more than a memory to its residents. Source
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Beaver Welcomes You To Canada
This video is really cute. Make sure you watch the whole thing and don’t forget to turn the sound up loud enough to hear the conversation. If only this little guy really came out to welcome me to Canada, I would be there daily.
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Canadian Man Got Pepper Sprayed in the Face for Asking US Border Agent to Say Please
Desiderio Fortunato is a stickler for courtesy and respect. But when the Canadian man asked a US Border agent to be polite and say "please," he got something unexpected: pepper spray to his face!
He said he was questioned by a border officer who demanded he turn off his car and, when asked to make the request more politely, threatened to spray him with his pepper gun if he did not comply.
“I just felt I should stand my ground about it. I should not be treated like that. No matter what kind of position you are in, if you want respect you have to show respect,” he said Tuesday. “I asked him three times and when I didn’t turn the car off, because he didn’t say please, he pepper sprayed me … It was terrible. For half an hour or so I couldn’t see anything.”
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Carts of Darkness
Carts of Darkness is an interesting documentary film about a subculture of street life involving the homeless and the extreme sport of cart racing.
The National Film Board of Canada has recently posted the entire film online along with the usual trailers. The film by Murray Siple
“follows a group of homeless men who have combined bottle picking with the extreme sport of racing shopping carts down the steep hills of North Vancouver. This subculture depicts street life as much more than the stereotypes portrayed in mainstream media. The film takes a deep look into the lives of the men who race carts, the adversity they face and the appeal of cart racing despite the risk”.
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