Ouch

Teenage boys across Germany now will be piercing the livers of toads...

Toads have been exploding by the hundred in Germany because they are being attacked by crows, a veterinary surgeon revealed.

Animal welfare workers and veterinarians had reported that as many as 1,000 toads had swelled to bursting point and exploded in recent days, propelling their entrails up to a metre (three feet) into the air.

Now a veterinary surgeon, Frank Mutschmann, who has examined the remains of the toads, said they had been pierced with a single peck by crows trying to eat their livers. This in turn caused the toads to explode.

"The toads swell up as a form of self-defence. But when their livers are taken away and their stomachs are punctured, their blood vessels explode, their lungs collapse and the other organs come out," Mutschmann said.

"Crows are intelligent animals. They learn very quickly how to eat the toads' livers," he said, adding that between three and five crows could kill around 100 toads.

I'm waiting for PETA to show up and picket the crows' nest. In the meantime, I'm assuming no one will blame President Bush for this.