Animals: Fatal Birth

As scarce as tropical snowstorms are cases of fertility in mules. Like many other hybrids, the cross between a horse and an ass rarely breeds, whether mated with another mule, ass or with a horse. Hence, when a mule belonging to Don Salvador Calero foaled in Buga, Colombia, last week, local veterinarians were astonished, called it the first such case in the history of the republic. Awe-struck Colombians gathered at Calero’s stable, gladly paid admission to see the mule foal. To the ignorant and superstitious the unnatural event was disturbing.

Day after the foal arrived, lop-eared Leonardo Cedano, 30, a Calero stablehand, became morose. Standing outside a public bar, he bellowed: “People are saying that the baby mule born yesterday is my son.” Then he popped a skyrocket into his mouth, touched a lighted cigaret to the fuse. A moment later it exploded. His face and mouth were horribly mutilated. Within half an hour he died.