The Animals Have (Over)Lapped Them

We’ve just finished walking a relatively relaxed and well-marked trail in a national park. The trail is paved the whole way and has regular trash cans, so it’s designed for the most relaxed and casual strolls while still taking in some pretty sights.

I see a park ranger as we end the loop, close to the visitor’s center.

Me: “Hi, I noticed one of the trash cans might have been raided by some raccoons or maybe a bear? There’s stuff everywhere.”

Park Ranger: “Yeah, that happens occasionally. We have staff making regular inspections so they’ll find it.”

My Dad: “Why don’t you make the trash cans more resistant to tampering by bears and raccoons?”

Park Ranger: “Well, when you look at the intelligence of the smartest bears and raccoons compared to the dumbest tourists, it turns out that there is quite an overlap…”