When Sheep Jumped Higher Than Goats

When I was small, I liked the nursery rhyme- "Hey Diddle Diddle".

The third line of the rhyme- "The cow jumped over the moon" often made me wonder how it could ever be possible.

The moon is so far away.

Source: Unsplash

Even a little child knows this.

The cow is near and so very dear. In India, the cow is considered to be our mother. Like mother's milk, cow's milk too has nourished us.

Humans have been milking cows for long.

Dairy is big business.

Some days ago, it was pretty interesting to come across this news report in Moneycontrol-

The headlines was striking-

Flock of sheep eats 100 kg cannabis in Greece, start 'jumping higher than goats'

"A flock of hungry sheep in a Greek town devoured nearly 100 kg of cannabis grown inside a greenhouse recently, according to a Newsweek report. The animals were seeking refuge amid the deadly Storm Daniel that hit Greece, Libya, Turkey and Bulgaria.

The shepherd noticed that something was wrong when his flock started showing “strange behaviour”, the report said. The sheep were “jumping higher than goats, which never happens”, Yannis Bourounis, the owner of the farm, reportedly told a local radio producer."

Full report here-

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/flock-of-sheep-munches-on-100-kg-cannabis-in-greece-exhibit-strange-behaviour-11428541.html

This was interesting to read as just some days ago, I had attempted a Coffee Day Quiz. 

One of the coffee quiz questions was about how coffee was first discovered.

Can you answer this question?

Q) As per an Ethiopian legend, coffee was discovered after which animals ate those berries?

A) Sheep

B) Goat

C) Cow

D) Dog

The answer is- 

B) Goat

As per an Ethiopian legend, a goat-herder named Kaldi first discovered Coffee. 

He noticed that after eating the berries from a particular tree, his goats became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night! 

Those were the coffee beans. The rest is history.

The goats may have been jumping high too! We never know!

Stimulants have such a significant effect on animals! 

Humans are also animals- the most sophisticated and intelligent animals in the animal kingdom.

Humans have been able to leverage and learn from other birds and animals- what to avoid and what to consume and capitalize e.g. milk, coffee and caffeine. 

That is how human civilization has come so far.

The Coffee Day Quiz was conducted by the Times of India. I got all the answers right and earned myself a chance to attend the International Coffee Day 2023 celebration organized by Team Bangalore Times in Bengaluru, India.

I have shared my experience here- 

http://www.anitaexplorer.com/2023/10/international-coffee-day-2023.html

Did you know about coffee's discovery? 

Have you read "Hey Diddle Diddle" too? Which was your favorite nursery rhyme?