Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Overtoun Bridge - Suicide spot for dogs

In this bizarre follow-up to the Human Suicide Spot, Aokigahara Forest, Japan, I must now share the only animal suicide spot I have ever come across: Overtoun Bridge, Scotland.


This quaint old bridge is, apparently, the spot where, since the 1950's, numerous dogs have plunged to their deaths, more than 600, at a rate of one a month (!)..  To make things stranger, although most of the dogs died from the 15 meter fall, those that survived climbed back up and jumped again! I imagine they all succeeded the second time around, so no reports of third tries...
Attempts have been made to explain the phenomenon, attributing it to smells dogs cannot resist, noises or a general lack of visibility from a dog's height, but none of it makes much sense.
No paranormal theories, no conspiracy, no alien sightings, no haunted castle here. This is indeed a weird one.
I just have to quote a misquoted Ian Fleming: "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action and over 600 is clearly the work of an ancient Sumerian demon or some shit."