Weird, weird weather - the temperature's been rising since 10 p.m., and it's now 55 degrees (F) outside at 9 a.m.; but we're supposed to have snow falling, starting around 5 this afternoon, as the temperature is now going to drop for the rest of the day....
I read, with amazement, of a man dying in a car wreck in Gloucestershire, England earlier this week. The man was driving his car in the middle lane (6 lanes, 3 each way) when he struck a wild boar on the M4. The car was then hit by a large truck, as it slid into another lane. I'm used to reading about wildlife-caused accidents here in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I know there are wild deer in England, as well as smaller wildlife. But I never envisioned wild pigs in the UK as a driving hazard - the deer, yes; wild ponies in Dartmoor and Exmoor, yes; Scottish wildcats, yes. A wild boar? No way. Then, today's Wiltshire Gazette newspaper states that Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, lost one of her prized pigs, a Gloucester Old Spotted boar, to the attack of a wild boar. Gatcombe Park, the country home of the Princess, is not very far from the wild boar accident site on the M4. And the Gloucester Old Spotted Pig is a type of pig that was almost bred out of existence - they are bred for their docility and intelligence currently, but were great pork producers centuries ago. I wonder if there is a wounded boar, crazed with pain from a car accident, wandering the Princess' neighborhood?
Today is the Grand Parade of the Denver National Western Stock Show, starting at noon. It's the kick-off event for the Stock Show, and will be followed by the annual barbecue at the Wells Fargo Building at 17th and Broadway.
Back to wild boars, or wild pigs... I know they live on continental Europe. I know they live in the southern United States and in Mexico, and I've read about the destructive tendencies in the Carolinas, Louisiana, and Alabama... But, somehow, I didn't think that wild boars still existed in the United Kingdom. Shows I still have a lot to learn....
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