http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21867705

One must conclude that a knock-out was not properly sealed.

I heard of Godzilla taking out Tokyo, but a rat?

I had a cat in a 4160 switchgear section that went phase/phase & opened the main. That was nasty mess.

I had a groundhog in a padmount that went phase to ground, died and produced a ungodly smell that wafted into the office building.

Snakes in a few resi pool panels; bees/wasps in light poles & fixtures, and a few mice chewing insulation in reefer cases wireways.

When I worked as a BA/FA installer, I used to get bees in the bell housing outside all the time. When you had to check any alarm system and you had to set off the bell, you first had to make sure the bell cabinet wasn't full of bees!

I opened up a 3 phase 480V pump panel and found a terrified field mouse on top of the main cb.. The feeders were stripped back a little more than they should be so every move it made it was touching a phase and the metal bracket for the cb..

Another time I had a helper putting up wallpacks on a remodel. He vame running into the building screaming (in a mexican accent) Theres african americans in the yay box!!!! Once I calmed him down I found out there wad a HUGE beehive in the wall cavity. He meant there were african honey bees in the j-box..

One day check out a back porch light that didn't always work. So I figured I would bang on the siding to see if there was a loose connection. Found a large bees nest and 3 stings later, found out it was a bad switch. 1 of the stings hit me right in the cheek, and it blew up like a chipmonk with a mouth full of nuts.

The biggest insect problem I see around here is ants getting in pump switches. Typically folks have their well pump equipment outside on a slab or right on the ground.

In a remote jobsite, I arrived one winter's day to continue building a small industrial facility. I unlocked the door, and returned to my truck as my helper entered the building. I soon heard a panicked yelp, almost a scream, from the helper.

I entered, to find a magnificent snowy owl circling, swooping down for a closer look at us. The own had decided to winter atop the offices. Quite a sight, a bird with a body as big as a chicken and wings that had to span 5-ft.

A few week later, the alarm guys arrived to run their stuff. Wriggling atop the offices, they suddenly shot out, as if there were rockets in their pants. It seems they had just discovered some bones ("owl pellets") just as Ol' Snowy had begun warming up for a warning shriek. All the knew was that there were mysterious sounds, and bones, and they were OUT OF THERE ... mumbling something about not wanting to be the next meal of whatever monster lie in wait

Glad the alarm guys weren't around the day the mountain lion came to visit ....

Apparently pigeon dung can cause Histoplasmosis , which was pointed out by the health dept

So on one job, the project manager first instituted a bounty on them, then ended up providing (under the advice of an exterminator) an electronic owl that screeched away all bloody day long



~S~

Read in the paper a few days ago that workers at that nuke plant were installing wire mesh to keep additional rats out. Problem was that the wire mesh found an exposed terminal and caused a ground fault, and a blackout. oops. I don't think anyone was injured or killed, though.