There were weird beard happenings, snake shenanigans, fishy fish tales, and an outrageous KFC promo that you simply won’t believe in this week’s report on our weird, wacky and, yes, sometimes crappy, world.
UTTER CHICKEN S—
KFC in Germany apologized for accidentally sending an automated push alert to its app users that appeared to urge people to order food to commemorate the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht – the “Night of Broken Glass” – when Nazis terrorized Jews throughout Germany and Austria. The app alert said, “Memorial day for the Reich pogrom night. Treat yourself to more tender cheese on your crispy chicken. Now at KFCheese!” (Feel free to re-read that sentence).
KFC Germany said the notification was an “unplanned, insensitive, and unacceptable message and for this we sincerely apologize” adding, “We understand and respect the gravity and history of this day, and remain committed to equity, inclusion and belonging for all.” The chicken restaurant says it is reviewing its policies to avoid similar notifications in the future. Ya think?
HOME SWEET HOME
A venomous 2.2-m. king cobra that escaped from its home in a Swedish zoo returned back home by itself, bringing a happy ending to over a week-long disappearance saga. “Houdini, as we named him, has crawled back into his terrarium,” CEO Jonas Wahlstrom of the Skansen Aquarium said. The deadly snake escaped via a light fixture in the ceiling of its glass enclosure at the aquarium, part of the zoo at the Skansen museum and park on Stockholm’s Djurgarden island.
As a result of an intensive search with X-ray machines, “Houdini” was located in a confined space near the terrarium in the insulation between two walls. Holes were drilled into the walls where the snake was hiding but the cobra disappeared from the view of the X-ray cameras. It turned out the snake had given up its freedom ride and crawled back to its terrarium. “It was too stressful for Houdini with all the holes in the walls, so he wanted to go home again,” Wahlstrom explained.
BITE WORSE THAN BARK
It’s not uncommon for Idaho wildlife officials to be called for help when a moose, mountain lion, black bear or other wild animals wander into one of the state’s rural communities. But Idaho Fish and Game officials are asking the public for help with a particularly unusual find – a one-metre alligator that was discovered hiding in the brush of a rural neighbourhood about 64 km northwest of Boise by a resident walking their dog. The intrepid dog-walker put the alligator, native to far-away south Florida, in a nearby horse trailer until Idaho Fish and Game conservation officer could pick it up on Friday morning.
THE WEIRD BEARD REPORT
Facial hair enthusiasts claimed to have set a new world record for longest beard chain during an event in Wyoming. Participants gathered at Gaslight Social, a bar in Casper, where they stood side by side and clipped their beards together to create a hairy chain that was measured at 150 feet long, according to the newspaper. That’s more than double the Guinness World Record of 62 feet, 6 inches, set in Germany in 2007. To participate, people needed to sport a beard at least eight inches long. The event occurred on the sidelines of the National Beard and Moustache Championships, which took place Saturday at the city’s Ford Wyoming Center.
FISH TALE HAS CONSEQUENCES
Two men accused of stuffing five walleye with lead weights and fish fillets during a lucrative fishing tournament on Lake Erie have been charged. The allegations surfaced when Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament director Jason Fischer became suspicious because two participants’ fish were significantly heavier than walleye of that length typically are. An angry crowd at Gordon Park in Cleveland watched Fischer cut the walleye open and announce there were weights and fish fillets stuffed inside them. The men were indicted on felony charges of cheating, attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools, and misdemeanor charges of unlawfully owning wild animals. The first-place prize in the tournament totalled around $28,000.
DON’T FEED THE… HOMELESS
A woman who was arrested for feeding homeless people in northwest Arizona is suing over a local ordinance that regulates food-sharing events in public parks. Norma Thornton, 78, became the first person arrested under Bullhead City’s ordinance for distributing prepared food from a van at Bullhead Community Park.
Criminal charges against Thornton were eventually dropped, but she’s seeking an injunction to stop the city from enforcing the ordinance that took effect in May 2021. “Bullhead City has criminalized kindness,” Thornton’s attorney said. “The City Council passed an ordinance that makes it a crime punishable by four months imprisonment to share food in public parks for charitable purposes.”
Bullhead City Mayor Tom Brady said the ordinance applies only to public parks. He said churches, clubs and private properties are free to serve food to the homeless without a permit.