More than half a century ago, a Texan was appointed governor of the U.S. Territory of Guam. The island faced a number of problems, one being how to deal with crop-destroying snails. The man the governor had appointed as his Agricultural Secretary, a friend and fellow Texan, had a brilliant idea. Why not fly in a planeload of Armadillos to eat the snails?

It might have worked . . . if the island’s natives, the Chamarro people, hadn’t taken one look and decided these strange-looking animals were evil creatures and killed them all.

Not to be deterred, another planeload of Armadillos was ordered. Same song, second verse. This time, the message was received: Armadillos belong in Texas, not Guam.

 

*This is a true story. To find out how I learned about it and what happened to the snails, be sure to read next week’s Did You Know What Happened to the Guam Snails?

 

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