Untranslatable

"Haz de necaz" means "fun about troubles" and it's one of our deepest national features.
As I told you, it was gloomy today in the Staff room. The administration tried to help by playing relaxing music at the school radio station, but we did not appreciate it. We sat around the big table during break, and all people would talk about was the strike and how can we cope. There are many teachers whose spouses are state workers too- it's awful for them. Besides,during the strike we won't be payed.
At that point, an older man cut in: this is too much! And he said an anecdote, then I told one and someone else...It was a bit better- if only for a few moments. Here is his- in a very bad translation, because it's a word game, so it's untranslatable:
Care sunt ultimele doua specii dispărute de la noi ? Răspuns: râsul şi elanul.
Which are the latest two extinct species in our country? Answer: the lynx ("râs" also means "laughter") and the elk ("elan" also means "enthusiasm"). Just the typical kind of joke: short and bitter.