Name:______________________________ Unit:_________________________

Date:_________ Pd:___
Operation Cat Drop and Unintended Consequences

THE DAY THEY PARACHUTED CATS INTO BORNEO

This is an activity that demonstrates the importance of the connections among the different components, both
non-living (abiotic) and living (biotic) in an ecosystem. It also illustrates how difficult it is for humans to
identify all these components and their relationships. By the way, this is based on a real situation.

PART 1 Ordering Events: Work in pairs and try to arrange the following events in chronological
order. When you think you have the correct sequence, ask me for the answer. Rats brought the plague.

Predicted Order of Events Actual Order of Events

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.

6. 6.

7. 7.

8. 8.

9. 9.

10. 10.

11. 11.

12. 12.

13. 13.

14. 14.

15. 15.

16. 16.
Cut out events from one column below and place in order in the predicted order of events.

Mixed-Up Order of Events Mixed-Up Order of Events

Rats increased Rats increased

Cats died Cats died

Caterpillar numbers went up Caterpillar numbers went up

World Health Organization sent DDT to Borneo World Health Organization sent DDT to Borneo

Caterpillars ate grass roofs Caterpillars ate grass roofs

Cats were parachuted in Cats were parachuted in

Lizards slowed down Lizards slowed down

Mosquitoes were wiped out Mosquitoes were wiped out

Cats caught lizards containing DDT Cats caught lizards containing DDT

Roaches stored DDT in their bodies Roaches stored DDT in their bodies

Lizards disappeared Lizards disappeared

Lizards ate roaches and got DDT Lizards ate roaches and got DDT

Malaria spread throughout Borneo Malaria spread throughout Borneo

Sylvatic Plague and Typhus outbreak among Sylvatic Plague and Typhus outbreak among
people people
Balance restored Balance restored

Parasitic caterpillar wasps were wiped out Parasitic caterpillar wasps were wiped out
PART 2 Design a Food Web: Create a diagram that shows how all organisms listed in the story (also listed
below) interact with each other. Only use the names of the organisms, no other words.

Organisms
Rat
Cat
Caterpillar
Lizard
Mosquitos
Roach
Wasp

Food Web

Questions
1. What do food webs show?

2. Why are food webs important?

3. What consequences does altering a food web have on an ecosystem?

4. How does the story demonstrate how humans (in our attempt to fix one thing) cause unforeseeable
problems in ecosystems?

5. Explain how a toxin in a food web will harm some while killing others-why did the mosquitos and cats
die while other things lived?

6. Explain why you think DDT has been banned in the U.S. but is still in production and used in countries all
over the world.

7. If DDT is still being used around the world, but not in the U.S.-are we still exposed to it? Why or why
not?

8. Do you think scientists should have sprayed the island with DDT? If not, what should they have done
about the Malaria issue?
THE DAY THEY PARACHUTED CATS IN BORNEO
(Operation Cat Drop)

In the early 1950s the Dayak people in Borneo suffered from malaria. The World Health Organization had a
solution: they sprayed large amounts of DDT to kill off mosquitoes which carried the malaria. The mosquitoes
died, the malaria declined. But there were some unforeseen side-effects. Among the first was that the roofs of
peoples houses began to fall down on their heads. It seemed that the DDT was also killing a parasitic wasp
which had previously controlled thatch-eating caterpillars. Also, while the DDT killed mosquitoes, others
insects, such as roaches, merely stored DDT in their bodies. The roaches were eaten by lizards which also
inhabited Borneo. Instead of killing the lizards the DDT only slowed them down. This made it easier for cats to
catch the lizards, one of their favorite foods. The lizards eventually disappeared and the cats died from eating
the poisoned lizards. Rats moved in because there were no cats to control their population. Rats brought in
plague and typhus which threatened the human population. With no way to bring the rats under control the
World Health Organization sent out emergency calls for cats. An air drop was organized that parachuted
14,000 live cats into Borneo in an attempt to solve the problems created by the original actions of WHO.

----Jan Braun, January 2006

THE DAY THEY PARACHUTED CATS IN BORNEO

(Operation Cat Drop)

In the early 1950s the Dayak people in Borneo suffered from malaria. The World Health Organization had a
solution: they sprayed large amounts of DDT to kill off mosquitoes which carried the malaria. The mosquitoes
died, the malaria declined. But there were some unforeseen side-effects. Among the first was that the roofs of
peoples houses began to fall down on their heads. It seemed that the DDT was also killing a parasitic wasp
which had previously controlled thatch-eating caterpillars. Also, while the DDT killed mosquitoes, others
insects, such as roaches, merely stored DDT in their bodies. The roaches were eaten by lizards which also
inhabited Borneo. Instead of killing the lizards the DDT only slowed them down. This made it easier for cats to
catch the lizards, one of their favorite foods. The lizards eventually disappeared and the cats died from eating
the poisoned lizards. Rats moved in because there were no cats to control their population. Rats brought in
plague and typhus which threatened the human population. With no way to bring the rats under control the
World Health Organization sent out emergency calls for cats. An air drop was organized that parachuted
14,000 live cats into Borneo in an attempt to solve the problems created by the original actions of WHO.

----Jan Braun, January 2006

Teacher Notes:

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17BP9n6g1F0

THE DAY THEY PARACHUTED CATS INTO BORNEO ACTIVITY & REFLECTION EXAMPLE

The story of Borneo is a great example of how one thing in an ecosystem can easily
affect another and then continue effecting more organisms and other aspects of the
environment. In an ecosystem, all the organisms are interacting with the environment
either by the consumption of energy or the use of a byproduct. They are always
interacting and when aspect is tweaked or taken out, it changes everything because it is
impossible to only change one thing, the same way it kind of is with a rubrics cube.
Humans are always causing problems in the environment and we always try fixing them
one at a time even they are all occurring all at once. We try to fix one thing but end up
not thinking the solution through and ending up with uncalled for consequences like in
the story. The DDT killed some organisms and made others sick because of the
accumulation of the poison that each animal consumed. The roaches probably had a little
and it didn't effect them at all but when the lizards ate them, the lizards were sick and
slow meaning that the DDT was accumulating more of its self. When the cats ate the
lizards there was a lot of DDT in their systems and so they died. I believe that DDT is
not used in the USA because of its chain reaction type of side-affects and their
unpredictableness. Third world countries have to use this pesticide because they have no
other choice. Their economy is poor and they only was to get anything done is to get it
done cheap, that's why some countries still use it however, if it was possible for them and
if they knew its outcome, they wouldn't be using it. I think its impossible NOT to be
exposed to DDT because the USA is more of a consumer than a producer so we are
getting most of our stuff from all around the world, which include countries that are still
using DDT. Obviously scientists shouldn't have sprayed Borneo with DDT because of its
completely all-over-the-place side effects. They should have done something different
but im not really sure what. Scientists should have taken more time to research the effects
of DDT and then probably tweaked it to their advantage before spraying Borneo.
Correct Sequence of Events:

WHO sent DDT to Borneo

Mosquitoes were wiped out
Caterpillar numbers went up
Caterpillars ate grass roofs
Roaches stored DDT in their bodies
Lizards ate roaches and got DDT
Lizards slowed down
Cats caught lizards containing DDT
Lizards disappeared
Cats died
Rats increased
Rats brought the plague
Cats were parachuted in