Did Google kill Botswana donkey with Street View car or is it an illusion?
According to eagle-eyed Street View users, the donkey in question was standing by the side of a dusty road in Botswana as Google’s Street View car went by. After the car had passed by, the donkey is photographed again but this time lying in the dirt seemingly dead.
Google, however, was quick to point out what you see on the Internet isn’t always as it seems. In fact, according to a blog post on the Google Maps blog, the photos were actually posted backwards.
In the original photos Google then shows in the correct order, the donkey can be seen rolling around on the road giving itself a dust bath right as the Street View car drives up. Dust baths, they point out, are a common thing in hot Botswana as animals coat themselves in dust to dissuade the flies from landing on them.
As the car approaches, the donkey stands up and moves to the side of the road.
In the final photo published by Google, taken once the Street View car had driven by, the donkey can then be seen standing on all four legs staring after the now-receding car.
While the story of Google not even caring about a donkey in its lightning-fast pursuit to photograph the planet may be a lot more interesting, that, however, doesn’t make it true.
On The Web:
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2013/01/never-***-ume.html
http://www.heavy.com/news/2013/01/google-denies-street-view-car-killed-donkey/
