4 ms·

Powerful story - I've heard the tales of how some of the worst battlefields of the WWI and WWII are spooky because of the complete absence of bird song. I alwa

Powerful story - I've heard the tales of how some of the worst battlefields of the WWI and WWII are spooky because of the complete absence of bird song. I always assumed the sheer bad karma of so many deaths in a small space would make the place a 'no go' zone for wildlife, but I never considered the sheer amount of toxins in the environment that would be a deterrent too. Very close to where I live here in Australia is a beautiful cliffside area that is frequented by locals and tourists alike to watch the sunset over the sea. At the foot of the cliffs is an old WWII dumping ground that is absolutely littered with asbestos waste. The local council won't move it because it is (a) too expensive and (b) actually safer to leave it in situ because the sea water keeps it damp and prevent asbestos dust from spreading. I wonder at the other toxins. Lot of local kids still go down at low tide and forage - you are guaranteed to find bullet casings etc., and a friend of mine once found an actual Colt .45 down there once (totally rusted and useless, and he handed it in to the police).

Camillo 10y ago
> I always assumed the sheer bad karma of so many deaths in a small space would make the place a 'no go' zone for wildlife, but I never considered the sheer amount of toxins in the environment that would be a deterrent too. Is that the actual thought process of an adult in 2016 Australia? You hear "no wildlife" and your first thought is not environmental damage but "bad karma"?
- cyberferret 10y ago
  Do yourself a favour and visit Auschwitz someday. Stand in front of the ovens and see if you can summon up the jocularity to do a stand up comedy routine, then get back to me with your all seeing knowledge of 'karma'... EDIT: Do you also derive moral superiority by going around critiquing millions of people who still 'irrationally' believe in 2016 that some higher entity created the earth in 7 days?
  - goatsi 10y ago
    That is because of the knowledge we have of the holocaust though. Try bringing someone from Asia who hasn't had the history education or seen any of the books/media and I doubt they would feel anything.
7952 10y ago
This article suggests that wildlife has been quite resilient: http://www.landscapesatwar.eu/2015/04/26/the-ecological-resilience-of-the-battlefields/ http://www.landscapesatwar.eu/2015/04/26/the-ecological-resi... Apparently it is an excellent habitat for bats! In fact the Verdun Forest area is a protected habitat [1]. The shell holes filled with water and provide a habitat for wetland species. [1] https://inpn.mnhn.fr/site/natura2000/FR4100171 https://inpn.mnhn.fr/site/natura2000/FR4100171

Camillo 10y ago

> I always assumed the sheer bad karma of so many deaths in a small space would make the place a 'no go' zone for wildlife, but I never considered the sheer amount of toxins in the environment that would be a deterrent too. Is that the actual thought process of an adult in 2016 Australia? You hear "no wildlife" and your first thought is not environmental damage but "bad karma"?

cyberferret 10y ago
Do yourself a favour and visit Auschwitz someday. Stand in front of the ovens and see if you can summon up the jocularity to do a stand up comedy routine, then get back to me with your all seeing knowledge of 'karma'... EDIT: Do you also derive moral superiority by going around critiquing millions of people who still 'irrationally' believe in 2016 that some higher entity created the earth in 7 days?
- goatsi 10y ago
  That is because of the knowledge we have of the holocaust though. Try bringing someone from Asia who hasn't had the history education or seen any of the books/media and I doubt they would feel anything.

7952 10y ago

This article suggests that wildlife has been quite resilient: http://www.landscapesatwar.eu/2015/04/26/the-ecological-resilience-of-the-battlefields/ http://www.landscapesatwar.eu/2015/04/26/the-ecological-resi... Apparently it is an excellent habitat for bats! In fact the Verdun Forest area is a protected habitat [1]. The shell holes filled with water and provide a habitat for wetland species. [1] https://inpn.mnhn.fr/site/natura2000/FR4100171 https://inpn.mnhn.fr/site/natura2000/FR4100171