Small world (continued)

For those of us who remember seeing the Hitchcock classic ‘The Birds’ when we were kids ..you may not know this ..but it was inspired by actual events. In the coastal town of Capitola, California ..a large flock of disoriented seabirds started crashing into streetlights, cars, houses and people. Alfred Hitchcock was living in nearby Scotts Valley at the time. The birds in Capitola were suffering from a brain disorder caused by eating shellfish containing too much of a neurotoxin (called domoic acid) that periodically flourishes in the ocean near the coast. That’s where we get the saying ..don’t eat shellfish in months containing an ‘R’. The same thing is happening to the seals and sea lions where I live ..more and more of them are washing up on the beach delirious ..even in months without an ‘R’. The sad thing is ..it happens mostly to the females who come to the coastal waters to deliver their young ..making them unable to care for their pups properly. Sadder still, even in trace amounts ..human children who eat shellfish with this substance will, over time, develop memory impairment. Then they wind up at the Center for Learning Disabilities. We are seeing more and more of them now too. Scientists tell us that the amount of this toxic substance is going up near the coast due to warmer water ..disappearing wetlands (that act as a filter) and urban runoff. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against human progress or anything. It’s just that I’m tired of hearing people tell me that human activity doesn’t make that big a difference in the larger scheme of things.