Animals took pride of place on the front page of the 29 Aug. 1973 Cayman Compass, with the main story about Mariculture Limited seeking $4 million to expand into an “international turtle farming enterprise”.
The business had already spent $3 million over the previous four to five years to develop in such areas as animal husbandry, feed formulation, health research and market research “to prove that it is possible for the green turtle to be domesticated and for it to be farmed profitably”.
Alongside that story was a photo and article about a ‘Strange Creature Found In Pond Near Airport”. Atherton Bodden was photographed holding the “strange thing” which looked a “cross between a shrimp and a crayfish”, with long claws like an Alaskan King Crab. David Peynado, one of the “knowledgeable people” who was asked, said it resembled what Jamaicans call “jangas”. Unfortunately, the unidentified creature only lived about 10 hours after being caught, after which Bodden’s nephew Kingsley ‘Ditto’ Thompson placed it in the freezer.
A small story inside, ‘Police Get Modern Car’, described the $3,500 “speed cop car” which was referred to as one of the most modern to be found anywhere. The Chevelle Chevrolet, which was kitted out by Cable and Wireless, was equipped with “radar, radio, and sirens, and can be driven at a speed of 200 miles per hour”. The hope was that the vehicle, “with its ultra-modern devices”, would deter traffic offenders, “particularly speedsters on Cayman’s roads”.
And lastly, a two-page section, ‘Cayman’s Other Growing Boon’, displayed various photos of people with their homegrown fruits and vegetables, including young Andy Bodden with a pumpkin almost as big as he was, and Al Thompson and Jellico Clarke with their pear harvest. In the accompanying story, the Compass said there should be much more locally grown produce, and that prices “almost make it mandatory for people to get out and till the land”.
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