Systems thinking: a cautionary tale (cats in Borneo)

Sustainability Illustrated

7 May 201403:09

Summary

TLDRIn the 1950s, the Dayak people of Borneo faced a malaria outbreak, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to spray DDT to eliminate mosquitoes. While malaria was reduced, the DDT caused unexpected consequences, killing parasitic wasps that controlled caterpillars, leading to roof damage. The DDT also harmed geckos, which poisoned the island's cats when eaten. Without cats, rats proliferated, causing a new crisis of plague and grain destruction. To solve this, the WHO launched 'Operation Cat Drop,' parachuting live cats to Borneo to restore balance and stabilize the situation.

Takeaways

😀 In the 1950s, the Dayak people of Borneo faced a malaria outbreak and sought help from the World Health Organization (WHO).
😀 WHO's solution was to spray large amounts of DDT around the island to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
😀 DDT successfully reduced malaria by killing the mosquitoes but caused unintended side effects.
😀 The DDT also killed parasitic wasps that controlled thatch-eating caterpillars, which caused villagers' roofs to collapse.
😀 The DDT affected other insects on the island, which were food for geckos, a small lizard species.
😀 Geckos accumulated high levels of DDT in their systems, which did not harm them but proved deadly to the island's cats.
😀 With the cats gone, the rat population exploded, causing further problems for the Dayak people.
😀 The increased rat population led to the spread of the plague and the destruction of the villagers' grain stores.
😀 The WHO had no immediate solution to the rat problem and had to develop a new approach.
😀 As a solution, the WHO decided to parachute live cats into Borneo, an operation known as 'Cat Drop,' which helped stabilize the situation.
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Q & A

What was the main issue faced by the Dayak people of Borneo in the 1950s?
-The Dayak people of Borneo were suffering from an outbreak of Malaria in the 1950s.
How did the World Health Organization (WHO) respond to the Malaria outbreak?
-The WHO responded by spraying large amounts of DDT around the island to kill the mosquitoes that carried the Malaria.
What was the unintended consequence of using DDT to combat Malaria?
-The DDT not only killed the Malaria-carrying mosquitoes but also killed parasitic wasps that controlled the population of thatch-eating caterpillars, which led to the roofs of houses collapsing.
Why did the roofs of the Dayak people's houses collapse after the DDT spraying?
-The DDT killed parasitic wasps that kept the population of thatch-eating caterpillars in check. Without these wasps, the caterpillars multiplied and damaged the thatched roofs.
What impact did the DDT have on the island's wildlife?
-DDT affected the island's insects, which were consumed by geckos. The geckos accumulated high levels of DDT in their systems, which was harmful to the cats that ate them.
Why did the population of geckos on the island accumulate high levels of DDT?
-Geckos consumed insects that had been affected by DDT. Since the biological half-life of DDT is around eight years, it remained in the geckos' systems for a long time, causing them to accumulate high levels.
What happened to the cats after they ate the geckos?
-The cats consumed geckos that contained DDT, which poisoned and killed them.
What was the result of the cats being killed by DDT?
-With the cats gone, the population of rats on the island began to grow uncontrollably, causing damage to grain stores and leading to a plague.
How did the World Health Organization solve the rat overpopulation problem?
-The WHO organized 'Operation Cat Drop,' where live cats were parachuted into Borneo by the Royal Air Force to control the rat population.
What role did the Royal Air Force play in 'Operation Cat Drop'?
-The Royal Air Force was responsible for parachuting live cats into Borneo as part of 'Operation Cat Drop' to help control the rat population and stabilize the situation.