Peter Rukavina's Podcast

A CBC “Off the Beaten Track” episode in which I talk about the other Prince Edward Island, in the southern Indian ocean. Originally aired on September 8, 2000 on CBC Radio’s Mainstreet program in Prince Edward Island. Introduction: There is another Prince Edward Island, or rather “Prince Edward Islands,” located in the southern Indian Ocean and part of South Africa since 1949.  Marion Island, one of the two Prince Edward Islands is current home to a meteorological station, and former home to some 3,400 feral cats.  Prince Edward Island, the other of the two, is uninhabited and, indeed, people aren’t allowed on it without a special permit.  This is their story. Imagine a Prince Edward Island where… …it’s cool and stormy most of the year, with an average temperature of  4 degrees. …there are gale force winds 100 days of the year. …the soil isn’t red and soft, but craggy and volcanic. …the dominant vegetable isn’t the potato, but the cabbage. …there’s so much concern for the environment, and a fear of m