A thieving fox reportedly stole over 100 shoes from the residents of a Berlin neighborhood. According to LiveScience Christian Meyer, a resident of Berlin’s Zehlendorf neighborhood, noticed that one of his new running shoes had been stolen off of his porch. Meyer investigated and found others who were missing shoes. He soon found himself face-to-face with the culprit when he witnessed a fox escaping the scene of a crime with two blue flip-flops in its mouth. Meyer saw the fox once again a few days later and followed it back to its lair. After searching the area for more than an hour, Meyer reportedly found the fox’s secret stash of over 100 shoes, “most of them just gnawed on a little,” he said. The pile contained sandals, flip-flops, clogs and sneakers. A large portion of the stolen shoes were crocs. Meyer was able to capture photographs of the fox and its stash and published them on social media.
Odds & Ends Dateline: India
A man who paid to have a lifelike wax model of his late wife made introduced the new figure to his stunned family and friends during a housewarming party. New York Post reports that Indian businessman Srinivas Gupta’s wife, Madhavi, was killed in a cart accident three years ago. Madhavi was reportedly riding in a car with her daughters when their driver rear-ended a truck. The daughters only sustained minor injuries, but Madhavi died. Gupta reportedly missed his wife so much that he paid to have a wax figure made in the woman’s image. The figure is incredibly realistic and depicts Madhavi in a seated position wearing a pink saree and gold jewelry. Gupta recently had a new home built in India and reportedly approached 25 architects before he was sure he’d found one could build it to his deceased wife’s specifications. Upon the home’s completion, he invited friends and family to a housewarming party and introduced them to the wax model, which was displayed on the living room couch. Gupta encouraged partygoers to take photos with the figure.
Odds & Ends Dateline: Japan
Police reportedly arrested a 56-year-old Pokémon GO player after he physically assaulted a 55-year-old Pokémon GO player. According to Sora News 24, Hokkaido Prefectural Police arrested 56-year-old Kento Sato for assaulting a 55-year-old acquaintance. Sato allegedly reached through the window of the man’s compact car and grabbed the victim by his chest, damaging the vehicle’s side mirror in the process. Investigators say the incident escalated as the two men were battling for control over a “gym” in Pokémon GO. The location-based augmented reality mobile game allows players to capture virtual creatures called Pokémon while exploring the real world. Sato was presumably in the process of losing the match with the other man when the real-world attack occurred. Police determined that the two men had known each other for some time and had met while playing the game.
Odds & Ends Dateline: Germany
Visitors at a crowded Berlin park witnessed a naked man chasing a wild boar after the animal stole his laptop. The Independent reports that a man was enjoying a nude sunbathing session when a wild boar approached and began eating pizza from the man’s bag. Berliner Adele Landauer, a witness to the spectacle, said the boar then took a yellow bag that contained the man’s laptop in its mouth and ran away with it. The man noticed and pursued the pig, much to the delight of onlookers. Landauer managed to snap a number of photos featuring the middle-aged man as he chased the pig between groups of laughing sunbathers. The man reportedly caught up with the pig and was able to get his equipment back. Landauer later approached the man and showed him the photos she’d taken. She said he was amused and gave her permission to share the photos, which were promptly spread on social media. In Germany swimming and sunbathing in the nude is culturally acceptable and commonly experienced.
Odds & Ends Dateline: Michigan
A 103-year-old woman celebrated her birthday with her first tattoo. According to CNN Michigan resident Dorothy Pollack turned 103 in June but was unable to celebrate because of the pandemic. “COVID-19 had her in prison for months,” Teresa Zavitz-Jones, her granddaughter, told reporters. “The nurse in the home said she was horribly depressed and we needed to get her out. We couldn’t see her so we had no idea how she really was. She’s extremely hard of hearing, so phone calls were not helpful.” Pollack was eventually able to leave her nursing home and is now reportedly in the process of fulfilling her bucket list. The first item on the agenda was to get a tattoo. She went to A.W.O.L. Custom Tattooing in Muskegon, Mich. and had a frog tattooed on her forearm. Pollack said she loved the tattoo. Afterward, she reportedly struck off another bucket list entry by taking a ride on a motorcycle.
Compiled by Joshua Lee. Email your weird news to josh@alibi.com.
