Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for August 20, 2024

For self-defense, he could get a boomerang and try to figure out how to use it.

Don’t worry goat, its not like your going to be hunted there…

And me thoughts one can has a koalaty time over there.

I’d like to visit Uluru. And several other places. But what I’d like more would be hiking/boating through parts of New Zealand

Venomous snakes versus staying here with Rat. Hmm, tough choice.

Pay attention to the riptide signs.

And don’t mess with Crocodile Dundee!

Could be worse, the Giant Ripper Lizard is extinct.

Make sure the dingo don’t eat your baby

The spiders aren’t poisonous unless you eat ‘em. Otherwise they’re venomous, like the snakes.

It’s actually very expensive to die in the US.

Come to Australia, you might accidentally get killed. great song.

Between 2001 and 2017,more Australians died from falling off horses than from all of Rat’s animals combined.

I hear they have great bars and restaurants.

And some of the strictest lock down laws during the lab leak virus.

Crikey, remember what happened to Steve Irwin!

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport!

You’ll get a kick out of the kangaroos.

Maybe he’ll meet Rudy and Fiona from Kevin and Kell.

Free? Nothing free about dying. As for animals that actually kill humans in Australia look up Australian Geographic an article titled: “Here are the animals REALLY most likely to kill you in Australia” By Gemma Chilton (22 March 2016). It may be dated but you may be surprised.

I’m pretty sure that the deadliest animal to humans in Australia is other humans. As is the case with other countries, as well.

I visited Australia for three weeks several years ago, and I was not stung or bitten by any of those creatures. I did allow a very large yellow python (about 20 feet long) to slither across my neck at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre, though.

If you’re not careful you could be “Down Under” 2 ways !

The wife and I were in Israel right before all hell broke loose…

Mice Infestation

The koalas are cute.

Live free or die?

I was there, in Perth, for six years and never saw any of that. Did see some angry tourists, though. “When does the wind stop blowing?!” Etc.

Not mention I have heard they have some of the nastiest biting flies. But, I still want to go there and NZ. Wouldn’t mind settling in NZ…..if I could afford it.

But, but, they have Footy.

Goat, you should read Bill Bryson’s “In a Sunburned Country.” It’s a really funny travel guide of sorts for Australia. (There are seashells that can kill you! Rat isn’t wrong). Even so, I wanted to hop the next plane to Sydney after reading it. Haven’t made it yet; just not so sure I could tolerate the plane ride to get there. Are teleporters a thing yet?

Years ago, an Australian I knew was asked what to see there in two weeks. His response: New Zealand.

And yet millions of people call it home. I’ll take my chances.

Go Goat! It’s totally worth it.

Or stay local and visit Florida. We have a lot of strange and dangerous wildlife too.

There’s so many places I’d like to visit, but I just can’t afford it.

True, Rat, but where’s the fun in that?

Even if Rat is right about that, he always has to be a party pooper.

Oh, come on, doesn’t everyone want to live a life of adventure?

Cheaply and sometimes easily, Goat.

Used to watch the early Gold Rush episodes where they would strip mine dozens of acres with large machinery that ate half the profits and end up with maybe a 100 oz of gold. Then I watched the Australian version where 2 guys with a single little bucket loader and metal detector finding football sized gold nuggets

There’s always the chance deep vein thrombosis will kill you before you ever get there.

Antarctica. Top of my bucket list.

It’s far from free to die here.

But it would be such a boring death…

Well, Rat, you got the snakes right, but the spiders are also venomous- not poisonous.

You bite it, you get sick = poisonous. It bites you, you get sick = venomous.

Exactly why I don’t want to go to Australia.

Nearly right…..

Worst thing about California? Californians. Half will attack you, other half will blame you for being attacked.

If you stick to the well-worn trails in the national parks you won’t really have anything to worry about.

Prepared by an sushi expert, the box jellyfish are perfectly safe and parasite free like raw fish.

Yeah! Just step outside the door, any door!

Rat is an envious little rat.

No, dying is pretty expensive here.

As an Australian, I might have the same reaction to the US. Except that it’s guns. Far more people are killed by guns in the US (per head of population) than are killed by dangerous creatures in Australia. And yet, the vast majority of people live and survive, leading happy uneventful lives. (I have lived in the US as well).

Rat, you are the worst!! And why am I laughing??

AND… Australia is the original home for budgerigars, the sweetest parakeets

The man eating crocodiles wont bother Goat.

Unlikely that goat will go swimming in the sea so the jelly fish and sharks are out.

That leaves the snakes and spiders and he should also beware of Pagan Platypuses.

I lived my first 25 years in Australia. I’ve killed spiders and snakes, never seen a shark. The biggest danger are the increasingly high summer temperatures. Go visit now before climate change makes it impossible to enjoy!

Rat’s right, Just p!ss off the wrong person

Also excessive heat this year due to La Nina, I believe. That said Australia is a big place with lots of local climatic and environmental variation. If the outback might be a bit too adventerous there is always the eastern coast and the Great Barrier Reef (at least for now)

Beware of drop bears.

I still would like to go to Australia. Rat doesn’t have come.

Rat forgot the Blue Ring Octopus . . . so small, so cute, and so deadly!

This is why Australians are just built different.