1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. That's the one and only 4 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: super producer, Mr Max Williams. Give it up for My 5 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: name is Ben uh No. I want to thank you 6 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: in advance for uh for tuning this episode because uh, birds, 7 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: well not only birds been the most terrifying of of 8 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: all of God's hideously deformed winged creatures. The one what 9 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: walks on the land and comes at you with its 10 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: long snake like angly neck and beady little eyes. You know, 11 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: it's got the strength to like smash a car window 12 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: with its face. I mean, whether these are the most 13 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 1: terrifying creatures on Earth? These and the emuseum, but yeah, 14 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 1: well that's fair. There's also that one what is the castuary. 15 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: It's basically like the velociraptor of the bird family. They can, like, 16 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: what is it like, disembowel a man with its one 17 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: razor sharp claw. Yeah, I I would. I actually have 18 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: a soft spot for ostriches and EMUs as well, but 19 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: shoe bills, casswary. Uh, those things freak me out. I'm 20 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: glad that as a lover of all animals. I don't 21 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: I don't mess with them. Just shoe bills always look 22 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: like they're up to something. Shoot a shoe bill. Is 23 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: that's one with the really big, flat, freaky beak, right? Yeah? Yeah, 24 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: they always they always look like they're going, oh God, 25 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 1: you're ben At the moment he said that, I googled 26 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: the picture, and the very first image it looks like 27 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: he's going, I this shoe bear come to wreck your day. 28 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: It's like they're always saying, are you sure about that? 29 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: He looks like he'd be friends with the crynch. Dude, 30 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: there's what I'm looking at right now. He looks downright 31 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: sinister like he is. You know, he's got those kind 32 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: of Ninja turtle creases between his eyes, you know, like 33 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: the with like the the kind of like the you know, 34 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: the furrowed brow. And I'm not talking about the you know, 35 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: Saturday Morning cartoon ninja turtles. I'm talking about like the darker, creepier, 36 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: early comic version. Um. And it's just a staring daggers 37 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: right into my soul. Uh So, okay, I think I'm 38 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: I fear the shoebill stork more so than the ostrich 39 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: but the ostrich is damned terrifying, but also turns out 40 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: it produces some pretty fluffy, delightful and dare I say 41 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: precious to uh certain types plumes. That's right. Uh. Today's 42 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: episode is about one of the largest and most profit 43 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 1: noble industries in the world in the twentie century, around 44 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: the turn of the twentieth century. Really it was something 45 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 1: called millinery, uh, the art specifically of decorating women's hats 46 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: with bird feathers. And you're talking about like all the 47 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: high rollers in Europe, in the US and everywhere in between. 48 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: If you were a fashionable lady, you had to have 49 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: not one, but ideally a collection of hats that were 50 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: just a wash festooned with bird plumage, sometimes with like 51 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: whole stuffed birds, right like literally wearing like a tiny 52 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: taxidermy chickadee on your head to let people know that 53 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: you had it made. Ah, you say lavic. I think 54 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: the word I would choose to use would be garish, 55 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: but whatever, at different times, different strokes and all that, 56 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: It's true. I mean, we we we think of the 57 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: cliche ladies hats, you know, of bygone eras, and we 58 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: do think very ostentatious, very large and in charge and 59 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: covered in these kind of plumes, very very ordinate. We 60 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: also know, of course, the era of the hat pin 61 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: and the ladies that armed themselves with these very long, 62 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: scary hatpins to fend off the notorious masher. I believe 63 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: that was around what the nineteen twenties, yeah, early nineteen hundreds, 64 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: which is interesting because this would have been happening around 65 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: the same time. So do check out our hatpins story 66 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,599 Speaker 1: if you if you haven't heard that episode before. Big question, 67 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: Just like people are concerned with supply chains nowadays, the 68 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: big question was this, where do we get these fancy feathers. 69 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 1: Some of the most popular ones came from Heron's and 70 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: egrets that live in the southeastern United States. But these 71 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 1: had limited availability. You couldn't get them year round, uh. 72 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:59,280 Speaker 1: You could only get them during the breeding season and 73 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:01,720 Speaker 1: for the rest of the year. When you couldn't get 74 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:06,159 Speaker 1: your hair and feathers, you had another option, the ostrich. 75 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 1: But eventually it became more than an option. It became 76 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: literally the most sought after of all the bird plumes 77 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: uh in question here. By around nineteen ten, the ostrich 78 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: trade was the most lucrative industry um in the country 79 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: of South Africa where they were farm raising these birds 80 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: specifically for their their feathers, and obviously we know that 81 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: they would also be surely used for their meat. I mean, 82 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: Ostrich jerky is a thing. I think there are some 83 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: restaurants where you can get like ostrich steak. It's apparently 84 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: a little bit like a dark meat that almost like 85 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: sort of splits the difference between like a steak vibe 86 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: and like, you know, dark meat chicken vibe. Yeah, yeah, 87 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: I've actually I've had ostrich meat before jerky, as you mentioned. 88 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: And then I want to say, there was a place 89 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: I went to you called Fossil Farms. They sell Ostrich steaks. 90 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 1: Now be warned there a little bit pricey. We're talking 91 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: about sixteen dollars or so for an eight ounce steak, 92 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: but I don't regret it. I don't know if it 93 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: would be an everyday thing for me though. You know, 94 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 1: it's kind of like kangaroo I guess. But aside from 95 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: our carnivorous tendencies, maybe we should learn a little bit 96 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: more about the ostrich because I'll be honest, I was 97 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: watching a lot of videos before I even knew we 98 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: were going to do this episode. I was watching a 99 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: lot of videos of this lady who like rescues ostriches, 100 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 1: and she has this farm with these different ostriches, and 101 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: there temperamental creatures. Yeah, yeah, you could. You could. You 102 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,359 Speaker 1: can also sub end the word terrifying creatures. But let's 103 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: let's dive in ever so slightly, if we must do 104 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: the history of ostriches and the role that they ultimately 105 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:59,600 Speaker 1: came to play in the fashion industry. Atlas Obscura, as always, 106 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,559 Speaker 1: has a fantastic article on today's topic, the Strange Tale 107 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,919 Speaker 1: of the Great nineteen eleven trans Saharent ostrich Heists. Is 108 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 1: that the name of a prog rock band, you might ask, No, 109 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: it's not. It's the topic of today's episode, But we're 110 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 1: getting there. Uh. And this one is by Vincent Gabrielle, 111 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 1: And in this article Vincent goes through some of the 112 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: history that we're about to talk about. Arnie Moore's who 113 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: is a professor of biodiversity at Simon Fraser University, who 114 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: was quoted in this piece, has this to say, Uh, 115 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: the ostrich maybe the most evolutionarily isolated species in the world. 116 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: What do we mean by that? Ben evolutionarily isolated. They've 117 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: got some things that one would think would cause them 118 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: to not thrive, but yet here they are. Yeah, yeah, 119 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: it's it's. The ostrich is one of those animals that 120 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 1: when you see it for the first time, especially in 121 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: real life, your first thought is really really though, like 122 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 1: how how and why? God why. The spooky thing about these, uh, 123 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 1: these farm videos is that when the ostriches are in 124 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: a good mood and they're affectionate with their trainer and 125 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: their handler or whatever, they kind of like loop their 126 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: neck around your shoulder, or they like they put their 127 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 1: head and their neck into the collar of your shirt 128 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: kind of snuggle up. I know, I'm getting a comfortable 129 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: t stay away, but they're so You're right they are. 130 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: When we say evolutionarily isolated, what we mean is that 131 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: ostriches and their closest relatives cassawaries, kiwi's imus stuff like that, 132 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 1: they actually diverged when dino stores were still walking the earth. 133 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 1: And according to Moors, they're different because they have a 134 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: long evolutionary branch with a flowering at the very end, 135 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:57,559 Speaker 1: just two species a couple of subspecies Central and Southern Africa, 136 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: and since they were around when humans got on the scene. 137 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: Human beings have had a lot of time with these massive, 138 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: weird looking but beautiful birds and it. They've been traditionally 139 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: hunted for meat. You can make leather with their skin. Uh. 140 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:19,840 Speaker 1: They even feature in like Egyptian iconography, not to mention 141 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: that they sport. Maybe that's not quite the best choice 142 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: of words, but I'll go with it. They sport the 143 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: largest eggs of any living um member of the Avian 144 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: family um, which is kind of interesting. And so therefore 145 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: they are also hunted for their eggs because uh yeah, 146 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 1: you know, like one ostrojagg is like the equivalent of 147 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: like a dozen chicken eggs, you know, in terms of 148 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 1: the amount of juice that it produces. I think one 149 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:49,559 Speaker 1: ostrijag alone has like two thousand calories. So it's a 150 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: it's a family meal, I think. But if you have 151 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 1: eaten an ostrojag by yourself, I don't want to hear 152 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: the story. Well, your picture goes on the wall, my friend, 153 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,440 Speaker 1: you get a T shirt, you get a hat with 154 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 1: plumes on it. Uh, there we go, So we know 155 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: these eggs. I'm glad you brought this up because these 156 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: eggs have been used for many purposes, many flexes throughout 157 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: various civilizations. They were given, they were carved up and 158 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:21,679 Speaker 1: like given as offerings in ancient Grecian times, and I 159 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: believe later they were used to decorate minarets, as is 160 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,960 Speaker 1: mentioned in that Atlas Obscura article. So how did we 161 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:34,199 Speaker 1: get from there? Two this hat craze, Like we said, 162 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 1: there was sort of an arms race for elaborate hats 163 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 1: in the world of fashion and like the late nineteen 164 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: in nearly twentieth century or so, and these hats got 165 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,680 Speaker 1: bigger and bigger and bigger, and ostrich feathers became a 166 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: natural fit because ostrich feathers are also really big, right, 167 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 1: So you don't want to have a ginormous hat and 168 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: then have some dinky like little sparrow feather corsage on 169 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:05,560 Speaker 1: their People are going to tell you that you have 170 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: a plain hat, which is a big insult. Back then, God, 171 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: plain hat. You are not a member of this country club, 172 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: my friend, absolutely not. So here's another thing evolutionarily that 173 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: is very interesting because these massive birds, you know, take 174 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,040 Speaker 1: up a lot of space on the Earth that would 175 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:29,320 Speaker 1: normally be freed up if they were like you know, 176 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: flighted birds. Uh, these feathers that normally are adapted to 177 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:40,560 Speaker 1: um creating. The means for flying now have become more 178 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: of a tool for elaborate mating ritual displays, you know, 179 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: similar to the peacock. People talk about peacocking around. No 180 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 1: one really says ostriching around, but it's a similar deal. 181 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: They display these feathers, you know, and flight flighted birds 182 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: do as well, if I'm not mistaken. But this it 183 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: becomes much more important, uh, because they're you know, approaching 184 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: potential mates and they have to kind of do this 185 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: little dance or whatever. So the feathers that would typically 186 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 1: be used for flight are much more tightly constructive. They're 187 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: kind of knitted, knitted together in this asymmetrical kind of pattern. 188 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: Ostrich feathers, on the other hand, are very long, and 189 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: they're loose and light, and they have these fluffy little plumes. 190 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 1: You know. When you think of the word plume, I 191 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:30,720 Speaker 1: think a lot of us think of like a writing quill, 192 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 1: you know, or like one of those cute pens that 193 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: like teenage girls like with the fuzzy ends on them 194 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: or whatever. You know, two very different sides of writing 195 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: tools from history, but both equally plumy. Also, the word 196 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: plume refers to like a puff of smoke, something very 197 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: wispy and like you know, stretched out that kind of 198 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: has this sort of like ethereal quality to it, right, Yeah, yeah, 199 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 1: well that's a great description. Also, these feathers don't have 200 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: the tiny hooked barbs that are on other other feathers 201 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: from other animals. So it's the perfect fit for decorating 202 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,839 Speaker 1: the hats of these wealthy members of society. And these 203 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: hats were a huge, huge deal from like the eighteen 204 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:20,280 Speaker 1: hundreds all the way to the advent of World War one, 205 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: or should I should say the outbreak of World War 206 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: one and nineteen fourteen uh one. One person is quoted 207 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: in a Great Daily Cost article by Lenny Flank just 208 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: says the following. It says, a well dressed woman nowadays 209 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 1: is as fluffy as a downy bird fish from the nest. 210 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: If you would be fashionable, you would be beplumed. Now 211 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,840 Speaker 1: I want to say be plumed more often, beplumed. I 212 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,560 Speaker 1: like that man that suits you. Try that one on, 213 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 1: see how I see how it goes. So this was 214 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 1: the height of fashion, and the beauty of it was, 215 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: you know how like most fashioned trends or cyclical or 216 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: season all the very least, right, Not so with the 217 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 1: Ostrich feathers, or they were absolutely at the height of 218 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: popularity and fashion all year round. Yeah, exactly, And just 219 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: as fashion also kind of trickles down over time and 220 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: becomes less exclusive, the same thing happened with ostrich feathers. 221 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: Eventually there were at least fourteen different varieties numerous kind 222 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: of grades of feather, which meant that you didn't have 223 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 1: to be a one per center to get these, and 224 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 1: the transatlantic ostrich feather according to c J news dot Com, 225 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 1: was mainly in the hands of a lot of Yiddish 226 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: speaking immigrants from the Russian Empire. This was an international thing. 227 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: This was an international trade. People were working in South Africa, 228 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 1: in the Middle East, Europe, the United States. But as 229 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: we already said, the heart of the ostrich trade was 230 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: there in South Africa, and that's where the feather trade originated. 231 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: And generally the hunters that people who actually got these 232 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: ostriches were indigenous inhabitants or folks who had settled there 233 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 1: from Europe. Even if you really like ostriches, you've got 234 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: to be careful with them. They do have a heck 235 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 1: of a kick. They can injure you, they can kill you. 236 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: There is one thing I wanted to ask you guys 237 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 1: about because in the research we found some claims that 238 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 1: ostriches have been domesticated. But I don't I don't know 239 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: if I if I quite agree with that, because they 240 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: seem like they could be tamed, but they still seem 241 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: very much like wild animals, right, I don't know, man, 242 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: I'd show me a tame ostrich as not going to 243 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: have it in them. You know that they're they're like dinosaurs. 244 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: I mean, I think it's the challenge. I mean, should 245 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 1: we try to domesticate an ostrich? The Finnick Fox experiment 246 00:15:55,760 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: would argue that it's possible when you can have that one. Uh. Ably, 247 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: the third party observer from AFAR you can send me 248 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: like just YouTube updates or whatever, and I'll like give 249 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,920 Speaker 1: you my two cents since I am the height of 250 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,360 Speaker 1: skeptical about this. But go with God, gentlemen, go with 251 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: They're they're only partially domesticated apparently. Uh And according to 252 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: thought code dot com, they're only domesticated for a short 253 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: period of their lives. So maybe we can be the 254 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:33,560 Speaker 1: ones to change that. But to get a better picture 255 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: of this, let's just say there was so much money 256 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: involved that people were willing to risk injury or possibly 257 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: death because the trade was so popular that feather handlers 258 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: could maybe plucking ostrich and adult ostrich every eight months 259 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: or so, and they will also grow alfalpha as like 260 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: the livestock feed. And if a farmer did this alfalfa 261 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:04,239 Speaker 1: and ostrogen ostrichen, I like it they did this, they 262 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 1: would get they would are like five to six times 263 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,479 Speaker 1: more in a year than they would have if they 264 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: were just regular farmers. M yeah, I mean I think 265 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 1: it's worth the premium for dealing with devil's bawn year 266 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: round like that. I wish them the best, but you know, okay, listen, 267 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: I kid obviously not a fan of these creatures, but 268 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: these were not particularly pleasant circumstances for these ostriches, were 269 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 1: they were they like plucking them? And then is that 270 00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 1: is that a one time thing? You pluck them? And 271 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:39,760 Speaker 1: the no, it's not right you pluck them you were 272 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: to say yearly or how often every eight months? Every 273 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: eight months so close to a year, And is that 274 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 1: I can't imagine that's a pleasant experience for the bird. 275 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,359 Speaker 1: It's not like getting shaved if you're a sheep. I 276 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 1: mean they're like ripping these out to keep them intact, right, Yeah, 277 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:59,400 Speaker 1: it's uh, clearly they're plucking them based on their The 278 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: farmers or handlers are prioritizing the highest quality feathers, right 279 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 1: ideally because that's gonna have the biggest profit margin. But 280 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,960 Speaker 1: I don't think it is particularly pleasant for the birds, 281 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:13,639 Speaker 1: especially if you just do a quick Internet searching your 282 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:18,199 Speaker 1: browser choice for plucked ostrich. Uh, it doesn't look like 283 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 1: they had a good time becoming that way. You can 284 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: see the little bristles and spines the skin, which trigger 285 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:29,880 Speaker 1: warning might set some people off. Oh god, I wish 286 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 1: I had waited for that trigger warning next time. Terrified. Yeah, 287 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,840 Speaker 1: they look like plucked chickens literally, and then mainly yeah, 288 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 1: this is not okay. Why did I look that up 289 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 1: after you looked up nol And they look even more 290 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 1: like dinosaurs now, don't they? Yeah? Yeah, And something about 291 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: the color of the skin and the texture just really 292 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:59,000 Speaker 1: it's very unsettling, very unsettling. Yeah, we we all probably 293 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 1: had turkey for for Thanksgiving dinners, so maybe we should 294 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: rethink our own values here. But um so, as we said, 295 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: I mean, this is a big business for South Africa 296 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,960 Speaker 1: at the time, they provided around eighty five percent of 297 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:18,920 Speaker 1: the entire planets ostrich feathers. The rest came from, as 298 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:22,200 Speaker 1: you mentioned earlier, been from North Africa. Uh And there 299 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: were these established trans Saharan trade routes um that were 300 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:34,359 Speaker 1: typically navigated on the backs of camels um. So this 301 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: was just fine for South Africa. Ostrich feathers were it's 302 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: third most profitable export. And the government had already taken 303 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,639 Speaker 1: over land from some of the indigenous people from the 304 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: surrounding areas, not to mention Dutch Boer settlers, and ousted 305 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:54,879 Speaker 1: them from their land, and they used that land to 306 00:19:54,960 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: create these massive ostrich farms that were overseen by the government. Yeah. Yeah, 307 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:05,639 Speaker 1: this gives rise to things like olds Chardon, which is 308 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:09,439 Speaker 1: a feather town. So feather towns were a thing. But 309 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:14,080 Speaker 1: there was one big problem, and not everybody outside of 310 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: South Africa was aware of this or not everybody outside 311 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:21,360 Speaker 1: the African continent. South Africa was selling feathers like gangbusters, 312 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: but they didn't actually have the best feathers. Everybody in 313 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: South African in the trade knew there was something else. 314 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 1: There was a better kind of ostrich. The Barbary ostrich. See. 315 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:35,359 Speaker 1: And that's the thing, man, I mean, if you don't 316 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: know what you're missing, I'm sure these South African feathers 317 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: were great, you know, and then they were, you know, 318 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 1: plenty fluffy, and the the inherent nature of the ostrich 319 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:47,720 Speaker 1: feather in and of itself is gonna feel really great 320 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:50,199 Speaker 1: if you get one. But when you compare it to 321 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: the extra uh snuggly, extra plumy barbary Ostrich feather, uh, 322 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: these South African ostrich feathers looked like trash in comparison. 323 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:06,320 Speaker 1: And we were starting to see shipments of these feathers 324 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 1: passing through. So people were starting to get hip to 325 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: the fact that they were missing something, that there were 326 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: better feathers out there, Yes, better feathers. Indeed, that's because 327 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: the barbary Ostrich is the largest of all the subspecies, 328 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: making it the largest living bird, meaning that those feathers 329 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:29,239 Speaker 1: are going to be larger as well. And they were 330 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: also they also had this quality called being double flost. 331 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 1: They had a kind of filmy down if you didn't 332 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:40,159 Speaker 1: picture it, that was much more dense in comparison to 333 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 1: regular old South African ostrich feathers. And so this made 334 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:50,160 Speaker 1: a tremendous and luxurious or garish display that people were 335 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: super into by eight eighty two. By the way, a 336 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: single pound of Ostrich feathers, just the regular ones, we're 337 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 1: going for about four hundred dollars, which is a little 338 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,560 Speaker 1: more than ten thou dollars today or so jeez, Louise 339 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: uh And just for a reference today, you can get 340 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 1: to Ostrich filets for from wild fork dot com. You 341 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,680 Speaker 1: go wild Fork, I go to fossil farbs. We gotta 342 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,359 Speaker 1: we gonna switch. Let's try about I think we should. 343 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:20,919 Speaker 1: I think we should ben And it's crazy when you 344 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,080 Speaker 1: look at these Ostrich filets, they really do look straight 345 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: up like steak. And I think that largely has to 346 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 1: do with the fact that there's such active and lean birds, 347 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:30,199 Speaker 1: you know, so it's it really does like have the 348 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: appearance of a steak. So the South Africans looked at 349 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,120 Speaker 1: this as an opportunity. They were not daunted. I mean, 350 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:41,320 Speaker 1: they already owned you know, eight of the global ostrich 351 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 1: trade ostrich feather trade, so they're like, well, why not 352 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:48,880 Speaker 1: just let's diversify. Let's figure out where these massive, you know, 353 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: high quality feather yielding beasts come from and get our 354 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 1: hands on a breeding pair of them. Yeah. Yeah, it's 355 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 1: a brilliant plan. Right, we will get top notch quality 356 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: feathers and then we won't have to worry about this 357 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:09,000 Speaker 1: American competition out there in Arizona. One problem though not 358 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:14,360 Speaker 1: I really knew where the barbary ostrich came from, and 359 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 1: so they saw an opportunity, an ostrich tunity, if you will, 360 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,640 Speaker 1: I make no apologies backs. Uh. The thing is, by 361 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: the time they got all these acts, the like the 362 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: top notch feathers, they have been passed through so many 363 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 1: middlemen that nobody, nobody knew the origin point. The best 364 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:36,040 Speaker 1: guests the experts could make in South Africa was that 365 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:41,240 Speaker 1: these birds must be located somewhere in the lower edge 366 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: of the Great Saharan Desert with within a place called 367 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 1: the Sahel region. Uh. And that's within caravan range, like 368 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:54,359 Speaker 1: you said, old by camel back. Uh, it's caravan range 369 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: of the trading center at Tripoli. And so nineteen eleven, 370 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:03,560 Speaker 1: the South African gun from officially organizes a trans Saharan 371 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 1: ostrich expedition. The entire reason this thing is around is 372 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 1: to figure is to hunt down barbary ostriches and bring 373 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 1: back as many pause as possible alive to South Africa. 374 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:18,440 Speaker 1: And let's just be clear here, a k a steal them. 375 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:23,760 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it's a heist. Yeah yeah, it's absolutely eyes. 376 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:28,040 Speaker 1: A government sanctioned Ostrich heist. That's what we're dealing with. 377 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 1: That's what we're dealing with. Yeah, exactly, after all these years, 378 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: after all those oceans love in movies. But the heist 379 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 1: is on. A guy named Russell William Thornton, who was 380 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,479 Speaker 1: a hero from a conflict called the Beauair War, was 381 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:45,199 Speaker 1: assigned to lead the expedition. And this guy already had 382 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:50,160 Speaker 1: experience in the Ostrich farming industry. So Russell Thornton's goal, 383 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: um his charge that was bestowed upon him by the government, 384 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:58,639 Speaker 1: was to make his way into French Sudan, find the Ostriches, 385 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 1: and get a lock back to South Africa, should he 386 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: choose to accept it, which which he definitely did choose 387 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:06,960 Speaker 1: to accept it. This would have been before at the 388 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:11,000 Speaker 1: time as the Americans or French officials got wise to 389 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:17,160 Speaker 1: their movements. Yeah exactly, they made some pretty like hurried 390 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: preparations and Thornton said, all right, I'm gonna round up 391 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,919 Speaker 1: a couple of my boys who are Ostrich experts. And 392 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,680 Speaker 1: then he brought what to me sounds like a small 393 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:34,639 Speaker 1: army around a hundred porters, trappers, cooks, translators. They get together, 394 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:36,920 Speaker 1: they get on a boat. They sail from Cape Town 395 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: in August of nineteen eleven. And the reason they were 396 00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: so rushed was because they were worried that somebody else 397 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: might beat them in the heist. Thornton's own brother, Earnest, 398 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:55,600 Speaker 1: this guy had been an expert Ostrich rancher that he 399 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,119 Speaker 1: went to the dark side. He quit his job with 400 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,360 Speaker 1: the government and left for the Unite States, and then 401 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: people were worried he had become a term coat and 402 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 1: sold his like become a consultant to help guide some 403 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:14,040 Speaker 1: Americans into the African continent and find the barbary ostriches. First, 404 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: why is this not a film? I feel like I 405 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: say that once a month. But this is great. So 406 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:23,240 Speaker 1: our guy, here are our fearless leader, Russell William Thornton. 407 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:27,879 Speaker 1: Before going back to South Africa, um he on the 408 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 1: side explained to his brother who was along with him 409 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: that he was actually a double agent. Dump dumb. I mean, seriously, 410 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:38,919 Speaker 1: this keeps getting weirder. He was a double agent and 411 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 1: he was working as a as an independent contractor spying 412 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:48,679 Speaker 1: on the American Ostrich industry. Later, he sort of walked 413 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: this back a little bit and claimed that his whole 414 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:56,640 Speaker 1: intentions were to force the South African government to um 415 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,919 Speaker 1: act on the information, the intel they got as to 416 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:05,840 Speaker 1: the whereabouts of the Barbary Ostrich. Uh. South African officials 417 00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 1: were not happy, understandably with the way he behaved, you know, 418 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: when he was supposed to be their guy on the ground, 419 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 1: you know, in the in the trenches. In this is 420 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:26,399 Speaker 1: where we learned the phrase Ostrich espionage or Ostrich bionage. Ostrich. Yeah, 421 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 1: I'll take it, I'll take it all, give it to me. 422 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,840 Speaker 1: So we we learned this phrase thanks to the work 423 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:36,400 Speaker 1: of a biologist with a cool name, Thor Hansen. Thor 424 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 1: Hansen wrote a book called Feathers, The Evolution of a 425 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:44,880 Speaker 1: Natural Miracle, which talks through this story, and thor says, 426 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:48,639 Speaker 1: even now in the modern day, it's still unclear who 427 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:52,600 Speaker 1: was spied on whom and how true or untrue Ernest 428 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:56,719 Speaker 1: Thornton's story about being a double agent was. But still 429 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 1: Russell only found out about this double agent thing after 430 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 1: they were already on the boat. So they were already 431 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:04,760 Speaker 1: on the way, uh, and I think it took him 432 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 1: several months, right, Eventually they got to British Nigeria. So 433 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:12,600 Speaker 1: at this point, Thornton's crew, which uh you know would 434 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:15,720 Speaker 1: hopefully have contained at least one bag man um, were 435 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:19,440 Speaker 1: camped near a town called Kano. Like the character and 436 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:23,160 Speaker 1: Mortal Kombat with the laser eye rips your heart out, 437 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,440 Speaker 1: holds it up and it's still beating, because that's totally 438 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 1: how hearts were. Uh. And this is in British Nigeria. 439 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: Where was Kano meant to be from? He was South African, 440 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:34,480 Speaker 1: I believe you know. That's a good question. Let's see 441 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:38,840 Speaker 1: Kano Mortal Kombat nationality. We're just gonna do this live, folks, 442 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:44,160 Speaker 1: because I'm not sure. Uh. He is an all Australian. Uh. 443 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: He is from the Earth realm, Earth Realm Australian, got it. 444 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: And for some reason I thought he was in the movie. 445 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 1: They made him South African. Uh for some reason. But 446 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 1: you know, those those don't don't tell, don't say this 447 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,560 Speaker 1: to an Australian or a South African. But those accents 448 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 1: due to to uh get muddled up for me. Sometimes 449 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:09,120 Speaker 1: shots fired. Nope, Nope, shots attracted, stracted, no shots intended. 450 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:13,200 Speaker 1: But yeah, so they're so they're so they're camped out, right, Yeah, 451 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:17,520 Speaker 1: and they they know that this trading center Kano, like 452 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 1: you point out, Uh, this trading center sells a bunch 453 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 1: of stuff. One of the things it sells barbary ostrich feathers. 454 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: So they know they're they're they're like trying to trace 455 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:32,560 Speaker 1: back the trade, right, uh, and reverse engineer the process 456 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: until they can find the actual birds. So Russell sends 457 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:40,840 Speaker 1: out scouting parties every possible direction you can imagine. And 458 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:44,840 Speaker 1: also he starts tell him what you think about this. 459 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: It sounds like he was roughing up these desert caravans, 460 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: like he was quote unquote inspecting the cargo. It feels 461 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 1: a lot like pretending your customs or something. Well, it's 462 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:58,440 Speaker 1: sort of a form of extortion or you know, kind 463 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 1: of strong strong Marie. Right. But in doing this he 464 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: got some very valuable intelligence. He learned that they were 465 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 1: getting these plumes from an area around a place called Zinder, 466 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: which was by all accounts that he had access to 467 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: the only place on Earth where wild barbary ostriches could 468 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: be found. Yeah, and that's a problem that's another plot twist, 469 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: because this is this would be a great film. Zinder 470 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 1: is not just a week's worth to travel away. It's 471 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 1: also inside of French colony Soudan, which is now part 472 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:38,280 Speaker 1: of Niger. Uh. South Africa was considered self governing, but 473 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:41,960 Speaker 1: it was technically part of the British Empire, and the 474 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 1: French and the British Empires didn't really get along, so 475 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 1: Thornton felt like he had to ask his bosses for 476 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: the green light. He wires, sends a wire to South 477 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 1: Africa and says, hey, good news, bad news, good news, 478 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,840 Speaker 1: pretty sure, I think I think we found where the 479 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 1: ostriches are. Ad news. It's deep in French territory. So 480 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:06,520 Speaker 1: he is waiting to hear back from his bosses and 481 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 1: from the government to get the okay to cross in there, 482 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:13,320 Speaker 1: you know, knowing that it could be an international incident. 483 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,600 Speaker 1: So in the meantime, while he was waiting for a 484 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:19,480 Speaker 1: response from his government, he spent time buying up as 485 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 1: many ostriches and um these barbary fancy plumes that he 486 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:27,760 Speaker 1: could uh. In six weeks he got the thumbs up 487 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:31,080 Speaker 1: from the South African government to go ahead with the plan. 488 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 1: They said that he was authorized to spend seven thousand 489 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:39,720 Speaker 1: pounds sterling for one and fifty ostriches. But it was 490 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:43,960 Speaker 1: almost like a black Ops mission, right because they basically said, 491 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:47,560 Speaker 1: you know, should you be captured, we will disavow any 492 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 1: knowledge of this mission or association with you. How crazy 493 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:55,280 Speaker 1: is it that that that is absolutely true, serious business man. 494 00:31:56,480 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 1: And so with this uddenly black ops mission on his mind, 495 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:07,200 Speaker 1: Russell takes his gang hundred and fifty miles north through 496 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: the desert to a place called Fort Zinder, and he 497 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: first tries diplomacy for six weeks, he's trying to get 498 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:19,840 Speaker 1: the French colonial authorities to let him have some ostriches. 499 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 1: And this is like Dr Susian level ridiculous. Here. The 500 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:29,480 Speaker 1: French officials didn't have a clue as to why the 501 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: South Africans would want these ostriches in particular, but they said, 502 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 1: you know what, you're technically part of the English Empire 503 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,440 Speaker 1: and if you want them, but we're not doing it 504 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 1: because if you want them now now we want to 505 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:46,600 Speaker 1: keep them. And so they said, okay, listen here, Russell Thornton. 506 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 1: You can't hunt these, you can't capture him, and nobody 507 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:53,840 Speaker 1: sell them any ostriches and They're like, well, why Boston. 508 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:59,120 Speaker 1: He's like, because they're basically British to us. Oh man, 509 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 1: poor guy. So he kind of went back. That's the 510 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 1: British Nigeria, plumeless, hat in hand and with no creepy 511 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:13,920 Speaker 1: gangly neck birds and his plane hatted the tragedy. That's 512 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 1: the worst way to be Yeah, But Thornton was a 513 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:20,960 Speaker 1: man of great resolve and he knew that he had 514 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,200 Speaker 1: what it took to get this done and he was 515 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 1: not going to be bested by a bunch of Frenchies. Yeah. 516 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: He went to his network, the local desert leaders, and 517 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:36,640 Speaker 1: he turned to them for help. This is where the 518 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:39,720 Speaker 1: story gets a little muddy, right. I don't know how 519 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: we want to film this when we finally start our 520 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:48,600 Speaker 1: film studio, but we do know Thornton somehow eventually does 521 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:51,880 Speaker 1: return to South Africa. He has a flock of ostriches. 522 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 1: But there's like missing film from the narrative here because 523 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:01,400 Speaker 1: right now people don't know how he got these ostriches. 524 00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:13,440 Speaker 1: What gives Well, we have some private letters that Thornton 525 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:17,879 Speaker 1: sent back and forth between himself and a confidante by 526 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:20,959 Speaker 1: the name of Mr Smith, and there are hints at 527 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 1: possible extracurricular smuggling expeditions into French territory. And these were 528 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:32,680 Speaker 1: not all entirely without incidents. There were even some conflicts 529 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:37,440 Speaker 1: with some nomadic tribes folk and some French soldiers reported 530 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:41,279 Speaker 1: in these exchanges. Yeah, at least that's what that's what 531 00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:44,960 Speaker 1: people are finding from this, as you said, these private letters. 532 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:52,040 Speaker 1: But our buddy Thor notes that the Russell's descendants deny 533 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:56,920 Speaker 1: anything like this happened. So right now, officially we can't 534 00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:01,200 Speaker 1: say it's confirmed that he that he rolled in and 535 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 1: turned his heist mission into like this action packed montage 536 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,000 Speaker 1: of violence, although that's just to be fair what I'm picturing. 537 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:15,120 Speaker 1: But either way, he does get a flock of ostriches hostritches. 538 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:20,719 Speaker 1: You could say he took them hostage and marches them 539 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:27,320 Speaker 1: from northern Nigeria to a train to take them to Lagos. 540 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:31,879 Speaker 1: Right oh, when he gets malaria not fun. You're seeing 541 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:33,839 Speaker 1: dig a little tonic water. I'm not going right out. 542 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,839 Speaker 1: So the ostriches are loaded to these specially modified kind 543 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:41,200 Speaker 1: of cattle cars, you know, train cars. Uh, and then 544 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:45,640 Speaker 1: they were transferred to a freighter heading to Cape Town, 545 00:35:45,719 --> 00:35:49,840 Speaker 1: South Africa. One hundred and forty of the total number 546 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:52,719 Speaker 1: survived the voyage, which is not It's not awful, right, 547 00:35:52,719 --> 00:35:55,920 Speaker 1: it's not not terribly bad survival rate for such a 548 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:58,920 Speaker 1: you know what, would be a pretty strenuous voyage. Thornton's 549 00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:02,320 Speaker 1: team when they got back, they were treated like kings. 550 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:05,400 Speaker 1: They were given a ticker tape parade or whatever. The 551 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 1: South African equivalent of the day was. Thornton's brother. On 552 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,799 Speaker 1: the other hand, after being you know, outed as a 553 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: double agents um, decided to just he threw in his 554 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:19,960 Speaker 1: his plane at his plane. Had I feel like we've 555 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 1: invented a new thing calling people playing at it, which 556 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:26,120 Speaker 1: is a shame because you guys know, my lucky hat 557 00:36:26,840 --> 00:36:29,400 Speaker 1: is very plain and for some reason the idea of 558 00:36:29,400 --> 00:36:32,000 Speaker 1: having feathers on that bad boy just put him put 559 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 1: a single match stick in it, or maybe a playing 560 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:39,440 Speaker 1: card minimalism. Thanks man, that's a great idea. Actually I 561 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:44,880 Speaker 1: might do that. Uh so, my terrible awkwardness and haberdashery aside. 562 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:50,439 Speaker 1: Absolutely right. Russell Thornton's gamble is paid off. He has 563 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:56,480 Speaker 1: saved the future of South Africa's ostrich monopoly for about 564 00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:00,719 Speaker 1: two years. Because then the final plots was occurred, the 565 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:05,800 Speaker 1: feather market crashed it plummeted. Ostrich feathers were no longer 566 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:11,840 Speaker 1: compared to diamonds. People had once upon a time said 567 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:15,280 Speaker 1: that a good Ostrich feather was an investment for life, 568 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:17,960 Speaker 1: kind of like the way people talk about really fancy watches. 569 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:24,239 Speaker 1: But if you look around nowadays, right, Ostrich feathers are 570 00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:26,600 Speaker 1: much less of a big deal. Right? Or do do 571 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:29,000 Speaker 1: we just not hang out and fancy enough circles? But 572 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:31,520 Speaker 1: I'm not sure, man, I know, you know, it's funny. 573 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:35,560 Speaker 1: I was actually googling Ostrich steak to see, like what 574 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:39,120 Speaker 1: types of restaurants sell Ostrich steak, and it is upscale, 575 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 1: like it's definitely considered like a delicacy still, like you 576 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:44,640 Speaker 1: can find it at some fancy steakhouses here around town, 577 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:47,480 Speaker 1: like Wrath Buns, for example. But when I googled that, 578 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,000 Speaker 1: I also noticed that the key word came up for 579 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:53,640 Speaker 1: decor as well in some fancy restaurants. So something has 580 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:57,319 Speaker 1: like is adorned with like Ostrich feathers or you know, 581 00:37:57,680 --> 00:37:59,480 Speaker 1: used in some way to like, you know, kind of 582 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:03,480 Speaker 1: add a little pizzaz to certain interior decorating that would 583 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:08,759 Speaker 1: also be considered very very fancy. Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, 584 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:13,920 Speaker 1: And despite the fact that they're still very fancy today. 585 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:17,080 Speaker 1: We're pretty sure we know what happened that spelled the 586 00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:20,479 Speaker 1: end of the global ostrich trade. One of the big 587 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:24,160 Speaker 1: factors was the Audubon Society and then something called the 588 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:28,200 Speaker 1: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. They were against 589 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:32,319 Speaker 1: the mass killing of birds for hat purposes, and they 590 00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:35,360 Speaker 1: have been against this for years and years and years. 591 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:40,000 Speaker 1: And because of the efforts of the Audubon Society in 592 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:44,279 Speaker 1: particular in the US, Uncle Sam eventually passed something called 593 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:48,520 Speaker 1: the Lacy Act, which was going to prevent the interstate 594 00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 1: trade in wild birds. Ostriches and domestic birds were technically 595 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:59,040 Speaker 1: excluded from the legislation at this point, but the writing 596 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,880 Speaker 1: was on the wall, The feathers were on the bird. 597 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,879 Speaker 1: This fashion trend was on its way out right. I mean, 598 00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:08,840 Speaker 1: you know even nowadays, like with artists and makers and 599 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:12,840 Speaker 1: stuff like that that that you know, create beautiful pieces 600 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:16,960 Speaker 1: of whether clothing or home decor or whatever, it's not 601 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:21,759 Speaker 1: particularly popular to use real bird feathers unless they are 602 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:26,439 Speaker 1: humanely sourced. Um a good friend of mine, Um who 603 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:31,520 Speaker 1: lives in Australia. Um makes jewelry and she uses humanely 604 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:36,239 Speaker 1: sourced feathers, meaning she finds them, she doesn't pluck them. 605 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:39,520 Speaker 1: These creatures are not raised to, you know, like pluck 606 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 1: them of their feathers. She literally trapes us through the 607 00:39:42,239 --> 00:39:46,480 Speaker 1: forest with like a little head lamp on and looks 608 00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:49,920 Speaker 1: for just you know, looks for shed bird feathers, and 609 00:39:49,960 --> 00:39:52,920 Speaker 1: then you can use those um Otherwise it's just kind 610 00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:56,480 Speaker 1: of a bad look these days, you know. And there's 611 00:39:56,560 --> 00:40:02,200 Speaker 1: there's another thing that happens here. The automobile came onto play, right, 612 00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:05,120 Speaker 1: the automobile has hit the stage, and what does that mean? 613 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:09,319 Speaker 1: That means big fancy hats that were perfectly fine when 614 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:13,560 Speaker 1: you're walking around are no longer as practical, Like how 615 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:16,600 Speaker 1: do you if you're in an open carriage car, how 616 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:19,160 Speaker 1: do you keep that thing on your head? And then 617 00:40:19,239 --> 00:40:22,680 Speaker 1: also when World War One comes around, people are a 618 00:40:22,719 --> 00:40:26,319 Speaker 1: little more hesitant to appear very showy or very well 619 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:29,759 Speaker 1: off because everybody is basically having a terrible time, right, 620 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:33,560 Speaker 1: and then women are going into the workforce as soldiers 621 00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:38,400 Speaker 1: are sent away to foreign theaters of war. Apparently, according 622 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:42,479 Speaker 1: to that Great Atlas Obscure article null you referenced early 623 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:47,480 Speaker 1: in the show, apparently the final final thing the Ostrich 624 00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:52,000 Speaker 1: feather that broke the camel's back was the emergence of 625 00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:55,520 Speaker 1: the bob cut. A bob cut, I think most people 626 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:59,399 Speaker 1: know it's just a really really short hairstyle. And the 627 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:02,920 Speaker 1: theory is that this hairstyle was just not capable of 628 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:09,320 Speaker 1: supporting really cartoonishly big gass hats. Yeah, yeah, it's true. 629 00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:12,319 Speaker 1: It's true. Um And as we know, aside from like 630 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:16,279 Speaker 1: little Ladies on Sunday, big hats are not so much 631 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:18,640 Speaker 1: a thing anymore. Well, remember that big hat that Farrell 632 00:41:18,719 --> 00:41:20,759 Speaker 1: wore for a while, kind of like the Arby's hat. 633 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,720 Speaker 1: I don't understand that one, man. I like, I've thought 634 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:29,440 Speaker 1: about that in the years since. What what's going on? 635 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:32,680 Speaker 1: I mean, where what makes you happy? First, he was 636 00:41:32,719 --> 00:41:35,399 Speaker 1: trying something out. He was trying to, you know, make 637 00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:38,160 Speaker 1: a change in the zeit guy single handedly, which if 638 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:39,960 Speaker 1: anyone can do it as him, I don't know that 639 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:42,880 Speaker 1: it took off, but you do occasionally see big weird hats. 640 00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:47,320 Speaker 1: Um as it comps though it is so just like 641 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:49,880 Speaker 1: like is it a park Ranger hat? It's not quite. 642 00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:52,839 Speaker 1: It's like a child's drawing of a park Ranger hat. 643 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:54,960 Speaker 1: High question is if you push down the top, does 644 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:57,000 Speaker 1: it go down? Or is there something in there? Is 645 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:00,400 Speaker 1: there like a support system built in there? Yea or 646 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:03,000 Speaker 1: or or a rabbit perhaps, or some sort of small 647 00:42:03,440 --> 00:42:10,359 Speaker 1: hairless cat, a small ostrich or a smaller hat like uh, 648 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:15,960 Speaker 1: that's the Russian stacking dollars. Yeah, yeah, there we go. Okay, 649 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:18,719 Speaker 1: well we've solved it because I like all of those answers. 650 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:22,200 Speaker 1: Of course, this is not all whimsy. This was a 651 00:42:22,280 --> 00:42:26,240 Speaker 1: huge trade. So thousands of people did lose their job 652 00:42:26,360 --> 00:42:32,040 Speaker 1: when this industry collapse, and that kind of spelled the 653 00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:35,000 Speaker 1: end of it. But we do we do have an epilog, Nolan. 654 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,359 Speaker 1: I think this has probably been in your mind as well. 655 00:42:37,719 --> 00:42:39,960 Speaker 1: One of my big questions, Max is probably a big 656 00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:45,160 Speaker 1: question too. No, what about the ostriches. These ostriches that 657 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:49,960 Speaker 1: guy kidnapped, almost a hundred of fifty of them got 658 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,920 Speaker 1: locked up in South Africa. Are they out of jobs 659 00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:56,480 Speaker 1: too or what? Well, we don't really know exactly what 660 00:42:56,520 --> 00:42:58,239 Speaker 1: happened to them. What we do know is that they 661 00:42:58,239 --> 00:43:05,040 Speaker 1: were never bred into South Africa's you know stock of ostriches. 662 00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:09,520 Speaker 1: That just didn't happen. The last bird from that flock 663 00:43:09,719 --> 00:43:13,080 Speaker 1: was a male and was killed in a lightning strike. 664 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:19,320 Speaker 1: So all of this ocean's eleven ostrich addition, heisty business 665 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:22,800 Speaker 1: was absolute waste of time and energy for all concerned. 666 00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:26,560 Speaker 1: It's a shame, you know. And the ostriches, the barbary 667 00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:31,560 Speaker 1: ostriches from that area in zinder and Cano on the 668 00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:36,960 Speaker 1: Niger and Nigerian border. Unfortunately, also we're not long for 669 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:44,440 Speaker 1: the world because these French colonial administrators were they weren't 670 00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:48,840 Speaker 1: going to permit official exports, but it appears they didn't 671 00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:52,840 Speaker 1: pay enough attention to the unofficial stuff, the smuggling, the 672 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:56,880 Speaker 1: over hunting, the encroachment of humans into the natural habitat, 673 00:43:57,239 --> 00:43:59,880 Speaker 1: as our pal Thor Hansen says, and I love this, 674 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:06,160 Speaker 1: he says. They they didn't send the brightest bulbs. No, 675 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:10,040 Speaker 1: they did not. And one of the sad things about 676 00:44:10,040 --> 00:44:11,799 Speaker 1: all this is that I had sort of speculated early 677 00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:14,439 Speaker 1: on that they would have you know, used every part 678 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:16,880 Speaker 1: of the ostrich or when they were you know, retired 679 00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:19,719 Speaker 1: from being plucked, they would have used their meat. But 680 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:22,120 Speaker 1: I guess you want the meat of young ostris. I'm 681 00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:24,759 Speaker 1: not quite sure. But the point is, uh, there was 682 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:29,920 Speaker 1: this huge uptick in the you know, um use of 683 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:33,000 Speaker 1: feathers as like a trading commodity. Um, But that did 684 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:37,319 Speaker 1: not mean that people were eating more ostrich Instead, you 685 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:40,440 Speaker 1: had a lot of these animals that were being found 686 00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:43,640 Speaker 1: in the wild, killed, plucked, and then just left to 687 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:50,520 Speaker 1: rot or be eaten by scavengers. Not yeah exactly. I 688 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:52,400 Speaker 1: mean we were supposed to use every part of the buffalo. 689 00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:55,279 Speaker 1: You're supposed to use every part of the ostris, but 690 00:44:55,800 --> 00:45:01,120 Speaker 1: no pretty shortsighted um in these in these situations. Yeah, 691 00:45:01,239 --> 00:45:05,600 Speaker 1: and so this is well, this leads us also to 692 00:45:05,680 --> 00:45:13,560 Speaker 1: a harsh ecological lesson. Today, the barbary ostrich Is has 693 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:18,040 Speaker 1: been eliminated from most of the southern Sahara Desert. It's 694 00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:23,320 Speaker 1: critically endangered. It exists in some parts of Chad, Cameroon, 695 00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:28,040 Speaker 1: and Senegal. But there's a big question. Are these the 696 00:45:28,160 --> 00:45:32,319 Speaker 1: same ostriches as the ones Thornton was rounding up or 697 00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:36,359 Speaker 1: were they something else that is now extinct? And it's 698 00:45:36,440 --> 00:45:39,680 Speaker 1: a it's it's a tough question to ask, but it's 699 00:45:39,719 --> 00:45:45,239 Speaker 1: also I think an appropriate sort of epilogue to the 700 00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:50,759 Speaker 1: great trans Saharan ostrich heist. Yeah, and um, we can 701 00:45:50,880 --> 00:45:53,480 Speaker 1: end this one with a little bit of ostris trivia. 702 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:58,200 Speaker 1: I think everyone's probably aware of the almost cartoony cliche 703 00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:01,200 Speaker 1: notion that ostriches tick their head in the sand when 704 00:46:01,200 --> 00:46:03,200 Speaker 1: they're scared. It's sort of I don't know. I think 705 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:05,719 Speaker 1: it was always used to imply that ostris were either 706 00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:10,359 Speaker 1: stupid or um cowards in some way. We know they're 707 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:12,680 Speaker 1: definitely not cowards. They will come at you and snake 708 00:46:12,719 --> 00:46:15,160 Speaker 1: at you with that weird tiny head and gangly neck. 709 00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:17,920 Speaker 1: But it turns out this is all just a matter 710 00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:22,560 Speaker 1: of the way an ostrich looks and the proportion of 711 00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:25,000 Speaker 1: its head to its body. If you're looking at an 712 00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:27,200 Speaker 1: ostras from a distance and they're like nibbling in a 713 00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:29,800 Speaker 1: little bit of food on the ground, uh, it could 714 00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:34,000 Speaker 1: in fact look like they're tiny little heads have disappeared 715 00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:39,160 Speaker 1: into the sand. I see. And yeah, and their heads 716 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:43,160 Speaker 1: are really really small. Uh. We we also have some 717 00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:48,320 Speaker 1: more ostrich trivia. They're the fastest two legged species on Earth. 718 00:46:48,719 --> 00:46:52,319 Speaker 1: Their top speed is forty three miles an hour, and 719 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:55,840 Speaker 1: they can run thirty miles an hour for ten miles 720 00:46:55,880 --> 00:46:58,439 Speaker 1: at a time, making them also one of the best 721 00:46:58,480 --> 00:47:02,439 Speaker 1: long distance runners in the animal kingdom. Uh. You can 722 00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:06,920 Speaker 1: still in some touristy spots you can ride ostriches. I 723 00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:10,319 Speaker 1: don't think people should. But I'll admit as a kid, 724 00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:12,680 Speaker 1: it was one of my first questions, right, did you 725 00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:15,440 Speaker 1: didn't you think that was a kid? Uh? That's a 726 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:18,799 Speaker 1: big note from me, my friend. Um, but you you 727 00:47:18,800 --> 00:47:20,800 Speaker 1: you have that Uh it is neat that because we 728 00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:24,560 Speaker 1: talked about how you know, their wings were sort of useless, 729 00:47:24,600 --> 00:47:25,960 Speaker 1: I guess, or or at least that would be the 730 00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:27,800 Speaker 1: perception I think, But that's not in fact the case. 731 00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:30,120 Speaker 1: They don't fly in the air, were they sure? You 732 00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:32,520 Speaker 1: fly on the land? Like you said, they're the fastest 733 00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:35,320 Speaker 1: long distance runners in the animal kingdom, and they actually 734 00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:38,840 Speaker 1: use their wings. It's kind of like rudders, like a 735 00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:41,239 Speaker 1: boat would use rudders, or like a plane would use 736 00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:44,319 Speaker 1: like you know, those flaps, um, And it allows them 737 00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:47,399 Speaker 1: to maneuver their bodies and kind of cut the air 738 00:47:47,800 --> 00:47:50,400 Speaker 1: like in Mario Kart when you like draft behind somebody 739 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:53,200 Speaker 1: or when you do like a like a drift. You know. Um, 740 00:47:53,239 --> 00:47:55,600 Speaker 1: they're able to make these like very fast breaks and 741 00:47:55,800 --> 00:47:59,279 Speaker 1: zigzagging patterns while they run, largely because they're using those 742 00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:02,840 Speaker 1: wings to day balanced and in control of their bodies, 743 00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:07,360 Speaker 1: which leads us all to say you shouldn't try to 744 00:48:07,440 --> 00:48:11,319 Speaker 1: fight an ostrich and you definitely shouldn't try to outrun them. 745 00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:13,960 Speaker 1: They will they will wax you. I do want to 746 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:16,080 Speaker 1: shout out, you know how Wicky How has all these 747 00:48:16,120 --> 00:48:19,439 Speaker 1: weird articles. I found a Wicky How article called three 748 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:24,560 Speaker 1: ways to survive an ostrich encounter or attack and uh, 749 00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:27,600 Speaker 1: just the just the images are hilarious. What do you 750 00:48:27,640 --> 00:48:31,759 Speaker 1: call a group of ostriches? Heard? Um, yeah, I guess 751 00:48:31,760 --> 00:48:36,760 Speaker 1: I heard. Let me see, maybe maybe flock like geese? Okay, 752 00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:38,960 Speaker 1: uh huh exactly. Well, what my question for you as 753 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:41,719 Speaker 1: if you ever see, if you ever came upon a 754 00:48:41,800 --> 00:48:45,319 Speaker 1: flock of ostriches and all of them turn those weird 755 00:48:45,400 --> 00:48:48,920 Speaker 1: little heads to you at the same time, you will know, truly, 756 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:53,480 Speaker 1: my friends, the feeling of abject horror almost the baddest 757 00:48:53,480 --> 00:48:57,440 Speaker 1: thing an ostrich mate. Oh boy. Yeah, I don't know 758 00:48:57,480 --> 00:49:01,279 Speaker 1: if we're going to sleep tonight, guys, but ridiculous historians. 759 00:49:01,400 --> 00:49:04,399 Speaker 1: We hope you enjoyed this episode. You know, we all 760 00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:07,960 Speaker 1: love a good heist story and we're so glad you 761 00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:10,879 Speaker 1: tuned in with us today. Thanks as always to our 762 00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:14,960 Speaker 1: super producer, Mr Max Williams. Thanks to Casey Pegram, thanks 763 00:49:14,960 --> 00:49:19,120 Speaker 1: to Gabe Luisier, Thanks to Ale explains you composed our theme. Uh, 764 00:49:19,160 --> 00:49:22,200 Speaker 1: Eve's Jeff Codes, Christo Frasciode is always here in spirit. 765 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:25,200 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland, the quister um. You know, he would have 766 00:49:25,239 --> 00:49:27,759 Speaker 1: maybe pointed out if we were if you were here 767 00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:30,040 Speaker 1: right now, because he likes to point out pedantic little 768 00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:33,319 Speaker 1: trivia facts. Did you know that a group of zebras 769 00:49:33,719 --> 00:49:37,040 Speaker 1: is referred to collectively as a dazzle and that is 770 00:49:37,080 --> 00:49:41,000 Speaker 1: where the name for that weird type of military paint 771 00:49:41,080 --> 00:49:43,920 Speaker 1: job that we're at one point done on naval ships 772 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:47,360 Speaker 1: were referred to as dazzle camouflage because in a big group, 773 00:49:47,840 --> 00:49:51,600 Speaker 1: the zebra stripes can actually create an optical illusion where 774 00:49:51,600 --> 00:49:55,399 Speaker 1: it almost they appear to to kind of vanish. Nice more, 775 00:49:55,480 --> 00:49:57,919 Speaker 1: you know, well, thank you, thanks to that man, and 776 00:49:57,920 --> 00:50:00,960 Speaker 1: and thanks of course. Well I feel like I need 777 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:03,880 Speaker 1: to send you a nice card or something, because I 778 00:50:04,320 --> 00:50:08,080 Speaker 1: didn't realize initially how how bird centric this episode would be, 779 00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:10,319 Speaker 1: but hopefully the heist made up for it. Oh yeah, 780 00:50:10,320 --> 00:50:12,239 Speaker 1: it was, It was fine, It was fine. Uh, those 781 00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:14,360 Speaker 1: OSTs just got what was coming to him. I'm kidding. 782 00:50:14,640 --> 00:50:17,040 Speaker 1: I love all of God's creatures. They just creep me out, 783 00:50:17,239 --> 00:50:19,480 Speaker 1: but they definitely deserve to live and not be plucked 784 00:50:19,520 --> 00:50:23,879 Speaker 1: by you know, weird South African poachers. Crazy idea friend 785 00:50:23,960 --> 00:50:27,440 Speaker 1: in the episode uh Mat, can we just for the 786 00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:35,400 Speaker 1: audio and just play the sound? And Ostrich makes gross. 787 00:50:36,040 --> 00:50:46,040 Speaker 1: We'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts for 788 00:50:46,160 --> 00:50:48,920 Speaker 1: My heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 789 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:51,160 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows