As we all know, David Belmondo was a versatile reporter who produced many outstanding pieces.
But of all the great stories Dave brought us over the years, there’s one in particular that stood out.
On this particular day, Dave learned of the plight of one endangered species and took it upon himself to “Save the Mince.”
Their message was loud and their passion was clear.
“We’re here because we have to save the mince,” said Mary Timashenka, Erie resident.
The folks gathered are fired up about the mince, a small rodent-type animal cousin to the mouse, but what makes the mince a target is its succulent, sweet meat.
“Something has got to be done. We’ve got to save these creatures. There were millions of mince at one time. Today, a hundred thousand tops. People have got to stop eating mince pies,” Timashenka added.
Mince are found high in the mountains of outer Mongolia. During the early to mid-1800s, they numbered in the hundreds of millions.
Their sweet meat is made for a dandy pie, but unfortunately, it takes more than a dozen mince just to make one pie.
Multiply that by generations of pie-makers and you can see why the mince are in trouble.
“As with any species, extinction is forever. And once they’re gone, they’re gone and you can’t bring them back. So when a species declines in population as dramatically as this, it’s a pretty scary thing,” said Scott Mitchell, Erie Zoo.
The plea to save mince resonated throughout the area — city buses were helping to spread the word and electronic billboards around town flashed the plea.
People were beginning to realize that the mince are in trouble.
Will there still be mincemeat pies, and will you still buy mincemeat?
Probably, but for one day, people came together to save the furry little creature. Yes, this day will be remembered as the day we tried to save the mince.
