Weekly Weird News for 6 May 2022
Weird news surfaces everywhere
Lots to cover this week - lots of new animals news - bad and good, some interesting items are found, and other finds prove to be highly problematic. Hope you enjoy this week’s news.
Lake mead serves up barrels of not-fun
Boaters discovered a partially disintegrated 55 gal metal barrel exposed at Lake Mead near Las Vegas. Inside the barrel was a body. The barrel had been there since at least the 1980s when this area would have been under 20-some feet of water. Investigators have determined that the body was a murder victim who died from a gunshot wound in the mid to late 1970s or early 80s using clothes and shoes as a clue to the timeframe. This find is actually rather unsurprising when you think about it. The proximity to Las Vegas means it was a prime spot to dump criminal evidence. Authorities fully expect that the historically low water levels due to severe drought will reveal more interesting items. News reporters back at the lake discovered another barrel near the first site. But this barrel was empty. Dozens of tips are rolling into law enforcement regarding the identity of the dead person. Two retired police officers have offered a reward to certified scuba divers to assist in finding more remains. https://www.8newsnow.com/i-team/i-team-body-found-in-barrel-in-lake-mead-may-date-back-to-1980s-more-likely-to-appear-as-water-recedes-las-vegas-police-say/ and https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/homicides/police-believe-man-found-in-barrel-at-lake-mead-died-from-gunshot-wound-2570915/ and https://www.8newsnow.com/i-team/i-team-discovers-2nd-barrel-at-lake-mead-near-site-of-murder-victims-remains/ and https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/05/05/retired-las-vegas-police-offer-reward-bodies-found-lake-mead/
Dangerous coyotes
An ongoing theme of my news stories has been the danger of habituating wild animals by feeding. Mostly the danger is from bears but coyotes have made a bold bid for the top spot by attacking two young children this week in separate incidents. The first, in California, occurred when a girl was only about 10 feet away from her mother at Huntington Beach when a coyote appeared. As she turned to look at the animal, it knocked her down, bit her head and face, and tried to drag her away. The incident occurred near dusk. Two coyotes were later shot and DNA tests of one of them matched with the animal that bit the girl. She is expected to recover. Locals say coyotes on the beach, have been common for almost 10 years now. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-03/dna-confirms-coyote-dead-attacked-huntington-beach-child
The second incident occurred in a suburban Dallas Texas neighborhood. A boy was attacked on his porch as the animal came right up to him. In this situation, the animal was known to residents who fed and even petted it. The boy is in critical condition. The animal was located but no word if it had been killed. https://www.wfsb.com/2022/05/04/toddler-hospitalized-critical-condition-after-coyote-attack/
Both animals showed little fear of humans even after being chased off. Many videos exist of coyotes in neighborhoods being fed or playing with domestic dogs. The animals will often kill small dogs and cats and they normally avoid humans. Coyotes are small and won’t typically attack adults but the toddlers were viewed as targets.
Bag o’ Lion
In Kenya, it’s no joke if a lion is reported near residents. When officials received a report of a stray lion hiding in the bushes near homes, they took it seriously. However, what they found was a large bag with a realistic depiction of the lion’s face. It was an honest mistake after someone had put the bag, containing tree seedlings in the shade of the shrubbery. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61335539
Coked up alligator
An 8-ft alligator made a mess of a Florida family’s party supplies when it entered their garage and tore open a case of diet coke. The noise it made caused the homeowners to rush out and find it. They called a local gator wrangler who removed the animal to a non-residential area. They vow to keep their garage door closed from now on. https://www.winknews.com/2022/04/29/alligator-gives-collier-county-couple-a-birthday-surprise/
Mississippi meteor
Around 8 am on April 27, 2022, eyewitnesses in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi reported a fireball in the sky. Many more people heard the boom that accompanied it. Flashes were recorded by satellites over the Mississippi River. Small meteors producing big booms as a result of breaking up in the atmosphere have become common events. Many people don’t see the flash and are startled by the boom. Meteors clearly are the source of many “mystery booms”. https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2022/04/28/loud-fireball-spotted-over-southern-mississippi-mostly-heard-hardly-seen/
As the object broke apart, however, pieces actually made it to the ground. Some in Mississippi have recovered bits of the bolide. https://www.wlbt.com/2022/05/03/after-last-weeks-fireball-some-mississippians-are-finding-meteorites-their-property/
Iraqi dust storms
Iraq is experiencing less rainfall and greater desertification due to climate change. An immediate result of this has been an increase in serious dust storms that are disruptive and dangerous. Last Sunday, a dust storm decreased visibility, grounded flights, and resulted in hospitalizations. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/02/iraq-engulfed-by-dust-storm-leaving-dozens-hospitalised-and-flights-grounded
Gnat swarm
The emergence of gnats in Chicago this year has proven to be more dramatic than usual. The swarms are large along Lake Michigan as the spring warmth has brought out the adults en masse. The gnats will continue to be around until the cold weather returns but the first emergence provides a bounty of food for fish, dragonflies, and birds. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/unusually-large-swarm-of-gnats-arrive-in-chicago-for-spring-2022-what-to-know/2823128/
Devil of a whirlpool
A cross-current effect in the Westerschelde river between Holland and Belgium causes a whirlpool called “the little devil in the water” at certain times of the year. Skippers always knew of the strange location that caused problems with ship travel but it wasn’t until 2005 when a large container ship ran aground that investigators identified the problem. The river channel configuration and tides combine to make a spiral about 1.5 km across. Officials are working to warn ship traffic of the hazard. https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium-news/222091/devil-in-the-water-mysterious-whirlpool-causes-trouble-in-antwerp-port
Creepy trash
Researchers in Texas looking for sea turtles, birds and other marine life, find an inordinate number of plastic dolls on the beach. Among the human trash, some 30 dolls (from baby dolls and barbies to sex dolls) have been collected. They have been in the water for some time, covered with barnacles. People still offer to buy them - the money goes back into their study fund. Researchers have found that the Texas shoreline gets 10x more trash than any other beach in the Gulf due to the currents and eddies. https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article260817822.html
Tunnel vision
Milwaukee’s Kilbourn Tunnel was a popular place on social media in the past week as an optical illusion in the tunnel was the subject of a viral video. The video, taken by a driver who stopped in the tunnel, appears to show a smooth-sided gaping pit along the inner bend of the roadway. Other cars slow down and go around it. Eventually, the observer notices that the “pit” is water collected in the area creating a reflection that looks like an open hole. It’s pretty neat. https://www.yahoo.com/news/viral-video-shows-looks-gaping-174323296.html
Video: https://www.tiktok.com/@_fuckjordan/video/7093875158070381866?_t=8S3sVatUG0k&_r=1
Terrible treasure trouble
The Forrest Fenn treasure tale has irked me for YEARS. Fenn finally revealed that the cache of valuables he hid was found in June 2020. Fenn died in September. The finder went public in December but not by choice. Lawsuits followed. It’s an unholy mess. The location where the treasure was hidden was never revealed but court proceedings could change that. Rumors are that the treasure was in Yellowstone, a national park where it is forbidden to dig or extract anything. This investigation by Outside magazine details the tangled issues Fenn created with his silly stunt and that led to litigation, heartbreak, and 5 deaths. Now, it’s could be a giant headache for the US government. https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/where-forrest-fenn-treasure-yellowstone/
Detroit River otter
A river otter was spotted for the first time in 100 years in the Detroit River. It’s a positive sign of clean water and great news for what was once one the most polluted rivers in North America. Otters in this area were hunted for fur centuries ago. Industrial pollution ruined the opportunity to return, until now. A video was captured by a student from the University of Windsor as confirmation. https://www.wxyz.com/news/rare-sighting-river-otter-spotted-on-detroit-river-a-sign-of-cleaner-water
Giant squid body found
A giant squid carcass was found on the beach in Kommetjie, South Africa. The body (not including tentacles) was 7.2 feet long. The animal appeared to have been injuries consistent with an encounter with a boat propeller. But it’s not clear if that was the cause of death of the two-year-old female cephalopod. Tissue samples were retained but the carcass was thrown back into the sea. https://www.livescience.com/giant-squid-washes-ashore-south-africa
Gun-running fail
A drone stuck in a tree in Ontario, Canada was carrying an illegal payload of guns. It’s suspected that the drone carrying a plastic bag of 11 handguns came from the US side of the border and didn’t complete its mission. Police don’t know who sent the package or who was supposed to receive it. One could expect this kind of transfer happens often. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/drone-carrying-bag-of-handguns-from-united-states-to-canada-intercepted-by-tree-1.6438267
Ghost of Kyiv legend
In the past weeks, a heroic story propagated about a Ukrainian fighter pilot who shot down Russian jets. The legend boosted morale and was passed along. This week, the Ukrainian Air Force admitted that the so-called “ghost of Kyiv” was a myth. The real story is that the tale of the single pilot embodied the work of the entire brigade of pilots who have been successfully carrying out their mission. War news is inherently murky and unclear. In last week’s WWN, I noted that war propaganda and fake videos were propagating on social media. People desperately look for information to boost their hope. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraine-admits-ghost-kyiv-isnt-real-wartime-myth-russia-rcna26867
And, I’m out of room! See you next week.
There's a great book by Dan Flores called "Coyote America" that talks about how resilient these creatures are. They have generational knowledge, like mothers show the cubs what traps and poison look like. When the population is under pressure the number of litters goes up and the cub mortality rate goes down.
You have a similar problem with dingoes in Australia the more the more the more they scavenge your rubbish, the more likely they are to bite someone. People really need to realise that wild animals have their own agendas, and we should probably leave them alone.