Flat Earth: Pussies galore

A week after ceasing to be Germany's capital, Bonn has settled into its cosy obscurity, with few of its inhabitants seemingly missing the excitement those armies of civil servants used to generate. Few of the humans, that is. Some of the animals, subsidised to the hilt like their masters, are feeling abandoned. Even though the federal government was prepared to pay the cost of relocating family pets, some heartless bureaucrats have left their cats behind.

The German organisation looking after animal welfare has reported with outrage a population explosion among strays in Bonn, especially in districts formally inhabited by civil servants. Their anguished miaowing breaks the eerie silence for which Bonn's night-life has been renowned until now. There are, fortunately, a few more stray dogs around than usual. Nature will doubtless establish equilibrium soon.