And I say "almost total," because I have to assume that somewhere out there in the great American population, there is someone who feels pity for a rhino poacher who had a really bad day at the office.
When your office is Kruger National Park in South Africa, it pays to be careful when you're tromping around poaching rhinoceri. People do this because of the desire among some folks to use rhinoceros horn in medical treatment and as status symbols. And because of these lamentable uses, the rhinoceros population is dwindling, another example of man's mistreatment of animals.
But last week, some joker went into the park to bag himself a rhino horn or two, and an elephant took exception. There was a short debate between the man and the elephant, who went to the defense of his fellow pachyderm by treating the hunter the way zoo elephants treat pumpkins at Halloween.
And then the elephant, a strict herbivore, invited a nearby pride of lions over for a cookout, as it were, and when they were all done cleaning their chins, all that was left of Pete The Poacher was his skull and his pants.
"Indications found at the scene suggested that a pride of lions had devoured the remains leaving only a human skull and a pair of pants," read a statement from the park's managing executive, Glenn Phillips.
"Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise, it holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that," Phillips warned. "It is very sad to see the daughters of the deceased mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains."
The poet John Donne said, "Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind."
But I believe it was Andy Griffith who said, "God never told anyone to be stupid."
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