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Piles of white powder are unsettling Zurich dog owners. What do the "Zurch Hash House Harriers" have to do with it?
Zurich Hash House Harriers
White powder has appeared in various places in Zurich's Seefeld district. Dog owners thought it was poison and called the police. A jogging group finally solved the mystery.
Uproar among dog walkers in Zurich's Seefeld district - has someone been spreading dog poison? The reason for the commotion is various small piles of white powder. These can be found in places that are often frequented by dogs.
A dachshund is said to have shown unusual symptoms after coming into contact with the mysterious substance, reports "20 Minuten".
Dog owners are warning each other in chat groups about the powder, which appears to be poison. Birch sugar, which is toxic to dogs, is the first suspect.
A particularly committed dog owner collects a sample and hands it over to the police so that they can test the substance. The police confirm that they have received several reports and that they are having the substance analyzed at the Forensic Institute.
However, the police suspected that it could be a harmless product. Groups would occasionally use sugar or flour as markers for scavenger hunts.
And indeed, even before the Forensic Institute was informed, the jogging group "Zurich Hash House Harriers" came forward. They report that the markings came from them. The supposedly dangerous substance was flour.
They normally use chalk, says a representative. But when it rains, it quickly becomes invisible. That's why flour was used.
A member of the running group explains that they are always being asked what they are doing. If they then explain that they are holding a scavenger hunt, most people understand. Only once was a blurred chalk circle mistaken for a "Q" in the "Qanon" conspiracy myth.
The excitement among the dog owners was new to the group. In the ten years of their activities, they had never received negative feedback. The runner showed understanding for the dog owners' concerns and emphasized that the group was simply a social community that enjoyed running and liked to meet up for a beer afterwards.
The motto of the Zurich Hash House Harriers fits in with this: "A drinking club with a running problem".
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.
