If I were to ask you what the number one cause of bacterial pollution in the Potomac, Anacostia, and more than two dozen other rivers on the federal “impaired waters” list, what would you guess? Sewage discharges? Stormwater run‐​off? Agricultural waste? How about increased mountains of dung from our supposedly threatened wildlife populations? You guessed it — because we have done such a good job making the human environment safe for all of God’s creatures, we are destroying the planet.


If you’re rushing off to make a bag of popcorn to watch the upcoming brawl between the National Wildlife Foundation (a polluter‐​defense league if there ever was one) and Greenpeace, walk, don’t run. Animal pollution good. People pollution bad. But regardless, shouldn’t we at least require Bambi to secure a poop permit — or regulate the time and place at which these river‐​killing vermin can dispose of their waste product in an environmentally friendly manner?