Today In Unintended Consequences, Sweden’s Thieves Can’t Rob Banks, So They’re Stealing Owls

Sweden’s war on cash has changed a lot about the country, including how robbers operate. “As Sweden’s supply of banknotes continues to dwindle, criminals have shown new enthusiasm for the endangered-species black market, previously cornered by reptile wranglers and orchid thieves. Crimes involving protected species recently reached their highest level in a decade. A single great gray owl — known as the ‘phantom of the north’ — now goes for 1 million kronor (about $120,000) on the dark web.”