Weekly Weird News for 14 April 2023

Lots of variety this week. We start off with another mystery animal on the trail cam. Everyone loves to play along by making crazy guesses, especially if you’ve got zero training in identifying animals but enjoy being a smart arse online. 

Mystery animal confuses apparently poorly trained wildlife officials

Officials released a picture from a trail camera at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in Texas showing a stubby-legged, small-eared, barrel-shaped mammal they couldn’t readily identify. The astounding part is that wildlife officials couldn’t figure out what this was. It was unsurprising that they posted it to social media for the mass of ignoramuses to comment because that ploy has worked before. Remember the Amarillo Zoo fence photo? That even spawned copycats. Anyway, it wasn’t hard for anyone who could google and had a bit of familiarity with North American animals to figure out this was not a “chupacabra” (catch-all for weird looking creature that people think is an alien or mutant) but a regular resident.  If you look closely, you can see the face has darker bands, leading to a quick conclusion that this is an American badger. The guessing game made its way to lots of “news” websites. After circulating for 3 days, they finally admitted it was a badger. These stories are the epitome of what Boorstin called a “pseudo event” in his book, The Image. It’s not news, it’s a piece of information framed in a way to attract attention and have people focus on an image. People didn’t see a badger poking around at nighttime (which wasn’t news), they were sold a “mystery animal”. This seems to be 90% of newsfeeds these days. It’s normal stuff elevated to a ridiculous level of importance. While it’s fun to see these kinds of posts online, the headlines go too far and it’s now clickbait for ad revenue. https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/outdoors/article/mystery-animal-texas-state-park-17884413.php and https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2023/04/09/park-officials-share-update-on-mystery-animal-caught-on-camera-in-rio-grande-valley/

Photo from park trail cam

American badger

Evidence for the hoop snake

This is my favorite story of the week. But it’s actually not new. It’s been rumored and previously filmed, now it’s documented, that at least one kind of snake, a Dwarf Reed snake, can fling its body around and do “cartwheels” to freak out any predators. Yes, that does sound like the fabled “hoop snake”. It doesn’t bite its tail and roll, though. The small snake, from southeast Asia, was captured doing this motion. https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/snakes-can-cartwheel/

There is a video on YouTube dated January 2022 that shows one of these snakes making this escape motion. It’s impressive.

Old cryptozoologists never die, they just become legends

Infamous researcher Rex Gilroy has died in Australia. He was a strong proponent of the reality of the Yowie, the living thylacine, and large cats existing in Australia. He also held many bizarre and unsupported, speculative ideas about UFOs and the history of Austrailia. The current most popular cryptozoologist in Australia, Tim the Yowie man, said: "Rex leaves a last legacy of an unprecedented contribution to the Australian cryptozoological world, not just 'yowies' but more broadly including thylacines, sea serpents, big cats and much more.” However, Gilroy never provided anything close to definitive evidence of these animals as described. Cryptozoology fails at zoology across the board. Gilroy’s extraordinary and bizarre claims were not appreciated by more serious researchers. But, he was certainly successful in popularizing the stories, and himself. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8157042/yowie-hunter-leaves-mysterious-legacy/

Woman spreading TB

There is woman walking around Tacoma with tuberculosis. Seemingly she can’t be stopped - she gets on public transportation, she went to a casino! Even after law enforcement has been involved to compel her to get treatment, she refuses to comply. Authorities want to detain, isolate, and treat her for 45 days. Under state law, authorities can do this. It’s only the third time in 20 years that they have had to seek a court order to detain a person for tuberculosis treatment. https://komonews.com/news/local/tuberculosis-tacoma-woman-refuses-treatment-arrest-warrant-pierce-county-health-department-health-risk-jail-court-order-isolation-testing

Death by fugu

An elderly couple in Malaysia purchased puffer fish from an online vendor and fried it. Soon after, they had breathing difficulties and other symptoms. The woman died by that evening and the man was in coma for 8 days before dying. Puffer fish, also known as fugu, are common in the area but contain a toxin if not prepared very precisely. There is no antidote for the poison. It’s illegal to sell potentially poisonous food but it is not hard to obtain. The Malaysian health authorities are investigating and there is an outcry for more oversight. But, the old adage “Buyer Beware” is apt here. https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/10/asia/elderly-couple-malaysia-pufferfish-death-intl-hnk/index.html

Hasty reports of NJ black panther

Animal Control in southern New Jersey received reports of a possible black panther loose in Hamilton Township on April 6. They believed it was an escaped pet after there was hearsay that a panther escaped from an exotic pet owner. This appeared to be false. The sightings were of a large black Cane Corso dog. Police captured and returned the dog. These dogs really looking nothing like cats but from far away, people assume it’s something more dangerous and dramatic. While black panther and big cat reports are not uncommon, they are almost never the animal reported. Witnesses make mistakes in size and description of large house cats and dogs. Such reports often lead to unnecessary panic in the neighborhood. https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/2023/04/07/hamilton-nj-black-panther-seen-in-atlantic-county/70092315007/

Making of a saint in California

Family members and locals have collected writings and testimonials related to Cora Evans who lived next to Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz mountains of California, in an effort to have her designated a saint. Evans supposedly had mystic visions of the life of Jesus. There are second or third hand stories of her levitating and experiencing stigmata. Locals say the place is haunting and the “orbs” in their pictures are mysterious. The Vatican must review 11,000 pages of documentation and verify two “miracles” associated with Cora and declare her a saint. The scenic property along the creek would be designated a shrine. This would be a boon for local believers and businesses. https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2023/04/09/from-buried-grottos-to-mysterious-orbs-could-this-santa-cruz-mountains-property-be-the-next-fatima-or-lordes/

Yosemite feeling the effects of people

Crazy amounts of snow and now runoff has scarred Yosemite National Park in California. The drought was broken by an overabundance of precipitation. The park service measured 162 inches of snow this winter. The area is “ground zero” for climate change and tourism, which are both problems for the park. Snow melt is expected to cause hazardous conditions for a while. The park is over its carrying capacity for visitors every year. The NPS is trying to manage the expected crowds with permits. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/08/yosemite-national-park-extreme-weather-climate-change

Psychedelic church

A modern church in San Francisco uses psychedelic mushrooms and cannibis as a way to connect with gods. The pot is legal but the mushrooms are not. Members of the church can purchase the sacraments tax free. The pastor is afraid the church will be raided by police. That action will prompt the inevitable legal challenge. It’s a curious question. Even though the sacraments are illegal, they don’t infringe on the rights of others (like, say, human sacrifice would). What would the courts say? https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/oakland-magic-mushroom-church-sf-17885505.php

Lightning may create new minerals

When lightning strikes the ground and fuses soil, sand, and rock, the resulting object is called a fulgurite. They are fairly rare finds. A scientist in Florida who studies fulgurites discovered a new phosphorus material never noted before in a fulgurite produced after a tree was hit by lightning. The high temperature of the strike, the iron and carbon in the tree roots, and the ground material combined to produce a reaction that created a crystalline glob. The researchers are determining if the material can be declared a new mineral. https://www.usf.edu/news/2023/usf-geoscientist-discovers-new-phosphorus-material-after-new-port-richey-lightning-strike.aspx

Double diamond

The DeBeers company Institute of Diamonds announced they have a rare diamond inside a diamond. The mined specimen was flagged in October 2022 as unusual and is being studied in its raw form. The double “Beating Heart” specimen highlights the process of diamond creation. Diamonds are formed under pressure deep in the earth and then moved to the surface via vertical igneous intrusions or “pipes” called kimberlite structures. In 2019, another diamond in diamond was found in Russia. https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/de-beers-finds-diamond-within/

Operation Dime Crime

Thieves in Philadelphia stole $100,000 from a unattended truck in a Walmart parking lot. It seems they were only able to carry off a portion of the loot because it was all in dimes. Dimes were strewn across the lot. Police are looking at camera footage and hoping to catch the thieves who will likely attempt to convert the coins into an easier to carry form. Cargo thefts are common, especially when you leave the truck unattended in an unsecured place. https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/philadelphia-police-dimes-theft-walmart-franklin-mills-mall/

Thanks for reading! I especially love the messages of appreciation I receive from some readers. I don’t ever want to charge you for this newsletter. I just want to share the info. Hope you enjoy.