Opossum Causes Short Circuit - Knocks Out Power to 12,000 People
An opossum that tried to walk through some high voltage primary cables at the power substation located in Changuinola in Bocas del Toro caused a blackout.
The short circuit caused severe damage to the battery bank of eight thousand volts and 200 amperes at the distribution plant.
Enoch Arauz, director of the Office of Rural Electrification (OER), said the blackout was a fortuitous situation, because the animal caused the short circuit which subsequently caused the damage to the battery bank.
The blackout, which left more than 12,000 users without electrical service in the district, occurred at about 11:45 pm last Tuesday. Service was restored by 8:00 am on Wednesday morning.
At the time of this writing, the Chamber of Commerce of the province had not yet quantified the economic losses generated by the blackout. (Siglo)
Editor's Comment: In Panama they use the term "zorra" when they are talking about opossums, a word which in the rest of Latin America normally means a "fox." That's where the sword fighting Mexican hero "Zorro" comes from - because he was as crafty as a fox. In reality, "zorra" is usually slang for "slut."
