Friday 24 April 2015

Day 189, getting high



The things some people will do to draw attention to themselves.  Stuff crumpets in their eyes, open pop-up lubricant shops, write blogs, will it never end.

But look at this person.  Honestly.  Imagine choosing to release your racing ferret from this height, what a show-off.



Maybe you're struggling to see the ferret wrangler, they are very high after all.  This grainy shot below shows them wearing their anti-nip hi-viz jacket, formal regulation clothing for when handling Mustelo furo with its sharp canine teeth.



Ferret are not generally known for their aerobatic abilities.  However there is a variant on the breed in Yorkshire that has a large amount of spare flesh in their midriff.  This flesh is normally tucked away out of site in their underbelly but under some circumstances it may be unfurled to provide a rudimentary wing for the purposes of gliding.  It is also possible, by the strategic use of thermals, for the ferret to travel incredible distances.  This capability of the ferret has been taken up for the northern sport of ferret racing where ferrets are taken to high places, such as Stanage Edge, and then released.

The ferret, once released, aims to enter a V formation with other released ferrets.  It will glide until the critical mass of the requisite number of ferrets has gathered and then they will head off, thermal to thermal, aiming for the fields of raw meat already put in place to attract them.  Being obligate carnivores there is little chance that they will mistakenly land in a field of wheat.

Where this instance is unusual is that an entire crane was erected to release a single ferret.  But this is no ordinary ferret, this is Juno Acapulco Venturer, the Queen's own prize ferret.  And as it turns out the ferret wrangler isn't showing off, they are an employee of the Crown and are obliged to do the bidding of Her Majesty.

It transpires that this is a ceremonial releasing and this noble ferret was about to glide down to the site of the old Royal Hospital where some meaty treats had been placed on the roof of the flats above the Tesco Metro.  The event was being filmed for a post election broadcast to tell the subjects of Her Maj how lucky we are to be living in such a democratic nation.

My name is Bernard Homogeneous and I approve this message.












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