Forget about the Golden Goose. I just want some ducklings.
Have you ever wondered what a duckling is worth? That’s probably not something that you would ever really think about. But seriously, I want you to take a moment, close your eyes and imagine that you are a poor Sudanese woman who has little in life except the clothes on your back and a few ducks. One day, your ducks decide to hatch some duckings. Now, what if you were to loose one of those ducklings. Think about what it would cost to replace that tiny peep of fluff …
Have you imagined it? I have several times and I’m thinking it might be worth around the cost of a dinner — let’s say (in Sudan) about 10 USD. Possible a bit more, just for the potential loss of eggs. So, let’s err on the generous side of things and say 25 USD. That sounds reasonable, right?
No so for the real Sudanese woman who lost a single duckling to a passing car.
According to my colleague who heard this news tidbit yesterday, this very thing did happen. The passing car happened to be operated by a Kenyan, who is just like everyone else, trying to earn a few dollars a day. The Mistress of the Ducklings, in her grief, took the man to Court for recompense for the loss of her duck.
“What is the duckling worth to you, oh Mistress?” the Judge asked.
“In my heart, my little duckling is worth… oh, let us say, 700 USD” she replied (with probably nary a tear in her eyes).
And so, this is how a Kenyan man who was probably just as poor, has to now pay a woman who lost a ducking (since she didn’t keep it IN HER YARD) 700 USD. I just bet that wouldn’t have been the same price has the person at fault been a neighbor.
Now, the thing I can’t get out of my head isn’t the fact that the poor Kenyan has been essentially blackmailed (that sadly happens all the time), but I just have to wonder if this woman might have the idea of gathering up all her remaining ducklings and walking to the side of the road and begin tossing them into traffic.
Let’s face it. If one duckling is worth 700 USD, then 10 ducklings would be 7,000 USD. I think I might just quit my job and start raising ducks. Who knew that all one would need in life is a pair of ducks?
I do know that there are a lot of car accidents there in Sudan. And the duckling is one of them. 700 USD is quite a lot. She would have made the man broke. What was the verdict of the judge in this? Aside from the ducks and duckling, I have found some way to help the Sudanese children. It is the The Emma Academy Project, that will be building a school in Leer, Sudan.