N.C. Police Find Gator, Caiman at Hotel
Nov 16, 5:15 PM (ET)
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Authorities trying to serve an arrest warrant at a motel instead found some sharp-toothed guests. U.S. marshals and High Point police found a 3-foot alligator and a 3-foot caiman - similar to an alligator - in a fish tank at a Red Roof Inn in Greensboro. They didn't, however, find the suspect they had sought.
The man who had the animals in his room was arrested on charges unrelated to the animals, U.S. Marshals Service officials said.
The alligator and caiman were taken to the Guilford County Animal Shelter.
"We've had exotic animals before, but nothing like this," shelter director Marsha Williams said, adding that the reptiles were in good condition.
It's illegal to possess alligators in North Carolina, but caimans can be found in pet stores, said Sandy Ellington of the Guilford County Public Health Department.
Ellington said the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will take both reptiles and decide whether to pursue charges against the man who had them in his room.
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Clever Bonobo Again Triggers Fire Alarm
Nov 16, 5:03 PM (ET)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Panbanisha the bonobo is up to her tricks again. For the second time in two months, the 20-year-old animal triggered a fire alarm at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa research center.
The trouble started at about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, when Panbanisha wanted to go outside but the staff was too busy to let her out, trust officials said. Panbanisha then apparently lost her temper and pulled the alarm, officials said.
It's a trick Panbanisha initially learned in October when she saw a welder start the alarm. It took her less than a day to learn how to duplicate the excitement.
When the alarm sounded again the next morning, "I went to check on Pan, and she was sitting there next to it with a smile on her face," said lead scientist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh last month.
Savage-Rumbaugh said she explained the danger of such mischief and Panbanisha promised not to do it again.
Panbanisha is one of seven bonobos at the Great Ape Trust and was among the first group to arrive in April 2005. Bonobos are one of the most human-like of the great apes and have sophisticated language skills.
Trust spokesman Al Setka said there are fire alarms throughout the center. The one Panbanisha triggered was about the level of a light switch and had a pull handle, he said.
Trust officials said they will cover the alarms to prevent a third prank from Panbanisha.
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Deer Killed After Plowing Through Store
Nov 16, 5:13 PM (ET)
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) - An unwelcome visitor to a western Kentucky furniture store got a full-barreled reception from the store's owner. Furniture Savings owner Dallas Brawner found himself in a strange predicament Tuesday afternoon when a four-point buck leapt through the front window of his store in downtown Hopkinsville and into his showroom.
"It was totally confused," Brawner told the Kentucky New Era of Hopkinsville.
Brawner got his first look at the beast after hearing the glass shatter. He rushed out of his office and watched while the buck crashed into queen-sized beds, marble top end tables and rocking chairs.
After regaining his wits, Brawner hurried to the gun safe and pulled out his .38-caliber pistol.
"I got off a couple shots, but it didn't kill him," Brawner said.
A deep bullet mark was visible in a safety deposit box that was behind the deer when Brawner fired. The buck made its way through a 50-yard aisle of Brawner's inventory and disappeared in the rear of the store. Brawner then called Hopkinsville police.
Officers eventually shot and killed the deer in the rear of the store.
None of the bystanders around the baffling scene knew where the disoriented deer came from or what prompted it to dive into the store antlers first.
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Rogue Sea Lion Bites at Least 14 in S.F.
Nov 16, 5:06 PM (ET)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A California sea lion has bitten at least 14 people and chased 10 others out of the water this week at a public park's lagoon, prompting the city to temporarily close the area to swimmers.
No serious injuries have been reported, but officials decided to ban swimming at the Aquatic Park Lagoon on Wednesday until the testy marine mammal has moved on.
Experts say the rogue sea lion could be protecting his harem of mates or might have brain damage from toxic algae.
Celeste McMullin, who was bitten Monday, said she saw the animal lurking nearby but didn't think much of it.
"I was swimming along, and I felt a brush under my feet. And I thought, 'These feel like whiskers.' So I stopped, and the animal popped up. He/she looked at me."
McMullin then tried to swim away, but the sea lion followed, biting and bumping her continuously until she made it back to shore. She ended up with six bites: two puncture wounds and four cuts.
Marine Mammal Center veterinarian Frances Gulland said the animal may soon leave the area and advised swimmers to avoid the lagoon in the meantime.
"The migration has started, and the animals are moving north to Washington state and Oregon," she said.
City health officials aren't recommending rabies shots, but victims were advised by the Marine Mammal Center to take antibiotics to ward off infection.
Aquatic Park Lagoon is part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and not far from Fisherman's Wharf, where dozens of sea lions bask year-round on rocks below the pier and are a major tourist attraction.
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'Grape Guy' Catches 116 Grapes in Mouth
Nov 16, 5:07 PM (ET)
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - An American man caught 116 tossed grapes in his mouth in three minutes in what he hopes will become a new Guinness World Record, his publicity team said Thursday.
Steve "the Grape Guy" Spalding, 44, of Dallas, Texas also set a personal record for endurance grape catching, using his mouth to catch 1,203 grapes thrown from a distance of 15 feet over half an hour, according to publicist Deanna Brown.
No Guinness World Records officials were present at Spalding's grape-gobbling attempt, carried out Thursday in Australia overlooking Sydney's iconic Opera House.
But Brown said observers had filmed Spalding's attempt and would be submitting forms to Guinness officials in the hopes of creating a new record for speed grape-catching - the most grapes caught in the mouth over three minutes.
No current speed grape catching record exists, she said.
Guinness World Records has no offices in Australia, and the organization could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Kansas Man Shoot Himself in Groin
Nov 16, 4:22 PM (ET)
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A botched kidnapping ended with one of the assailants shooting himself in the groin, police said.
The man had just stuck the gun in his waistband when it fired, shooting him in the left testicle, authorities said. He cringed, causing the gun to fire again and strike him in the left calf, they said.
The 23-year-old man managed to walk into a hospital for treatment. He and his two alleged accomplices, ages 18 and 20, were arrested on attempted kidnapping charges. They were accused of trying to kidnap a teenager in a dispute over stereo speakers.
