FROG ON A HOG
ROI-ET, Thailand — A woman claims her pet frog enjoys riding toy motorcycles and could once predict winning lottery numbers.
52-year-old Tongsai Boommrungtai came across the female bullfrog, which she calls Nong Oui, outside her house in Roi-Et, Thailand.
"The frog had a small chick in its mouth," she said. "I looked her straight in the eye and knew I could communicate with her. I told her to drop the chick and she did and then came hopping in. Ever since, she has been a member of the family."
For a time, villagers believed Nong Oui could predict winning lottery numbers.
"They used to read the skin on her stomach and look for numbers," says Boommrungtai. "Ten people subsequently won the lottery which drew crowds to the house — and then they started losing. So I had to ground her."
Boommrungtai says her frog is content to play with his vehicles.
"There is nothing more that she likes than to chill out on her toy Harley-Davison or a battery operated dumptruck. But she can strike a pose just about anywhere."
SO THIS WOLF WALKS INTO A BAR...
VILETTA BARREA, Italy — A wolf walked into a packed bar in Italy, ate a steak sandwich and walked out again.
"It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it really happened. Everyone here knows what a wolf looks like and there was no mistaking this beast for a big dog," said bar owner Giacinto Lorenzo. "It looked pretty thin and we guess it must have been suffering with the recent cold weather and the snow."
Onlookers froze in their places when the wolf strolled in, said Lorenzo.
"Everyone was so frightened we couldn't move for about five minutes afterwards, but the wolf just sauntered out as if it was the most normal thing in the world."
MOVE OVER, ACE VENTURA
HEREFORD, England — A former police officer has a new role as a pet detective. Tom Watkins left his job after he became disillusioned with the justice system.
He's now using his detective skills to look for lost cats and dogs.
"There was so much red-tape involved in the police," said Watkins. "But being a pet detective is something I love. I have been brought up with animals and I always wanted to help people."
JERSEY BEAR STEALS CAR
VERNON, N.J. — A black bear is suspected of stealing a vehicle and taking it for a spin in Vernon Township, New Jersey.
An officer found the vehicle by the side of the road after the passenger window had been broken and the door panels were damaged.
Police spokesman Detective Sean Talt said, "He determined it was a bear because of all the bear hair inside. Apparently, the bear had also accidentally released the emergency brake and allowed the vehicle to roll 40 or 50 feet away from the owner's house."
Talt says the bear was probably attracted by candy left inside the car.
"We've had animals break into houses," he noted. "But this is the first time we've ever had an animal take the car like that."
ALIEN RAY!
HAMPSHIRE, England — An eerie space-alien-like face is greeting visitors to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Southsea, England.
It's a baby thornback ray, whose face reminds Britons of a character from the long-running sci-fi TV series "Dr. Who."
The semi-transparent thornback is part of a captive breeding program at the aquarium.
ME, I WANT A HOOLA-HOOP
PANGBOURNE, England — A hamster escaped in a Pangbourne, England movie theater after its 5-year-old owner took it to see Alvin And The Chipmunks.
Sarah Stokes didn't own up to Hamish the Hamster's escape until family members noticed he was missing a few days later. Movie theatre personnel were alerted and Hamish was found snoozing beneath the movie screen.
"Perhaps he was waiting for the next showing," said Sarah's grandmother, Bernadette Bedford.
GOLDEN LAB PERFORMS HEIMLICH MANUVER
CECIL, Maryland — A Maryland woman says her golden lab saved her life by giving her the Heimlich manuver.
Debbie Parkhurst was eating an apple at home when a chunk got stuck in her throat.
"It was lodged pretty tight because I couldn't breathe," she said. "I tried to do the thing where you lean over a chair and give yourself the Heimlich, but it didn't work."
Parkhurst then began beating her chest, attracting the attention of two-year-old Toby.
"The next think I know, Toby's up on his hind feet and he's got his front paws on my shoulders," she said. "He pushed me to the ground, and once I was on my back, he began jumping up and down on my chest."
Toby's jumping apparently managed to dislodge the apple from Parkhurst's windpipe.
CATS INSPIRE RETIREES TO TAKE A 2,500-MILE CAB RIDE
NEW YORK, N.Y. — A New York City couple hired a yellow cab for a 2,500 mile ride to their new home - for the sake of their cats.
Betty and Bob Matas, who are in their 90s, feared their two cats would freeze to death in a cargo hold if they took a plane to Sedona, Arizona.
Cabbie Douglas Guldeniz agreed to turn off the meter and charge a flat rate plus expenses for the journey.
HORSE SMACK RETURNS VET'S EYESIGHT
NEW YORK, N.Y. — A World War II veteran who had been blinded in his right eye 64 years ago, can see again after being headbutted by a racehorse.
82-year-old Don Karkos lost the sight of his right eye when he was hit by shrapnel in combat.
Doctors tried in vain to restore his eyesight but nothing worked until pedigree racehorse My Buddy Chimo smacked him in the forehead.
Hours after the horse smacked the race course security guard in exactly the same spot as the shrapnel gashed his forehead in 1942, he realized his vision was returning.
"It was unbelievable. I've been seeing doctors all my life, and they've always told me there is nothing can be done," said Karkos.
TORTOISE LIVES TO 255
KOLKATA, India — The oldest animal in the world, a giant tortoise, has died at the age of 255 in a zoo in India.
Addwaitya The Tortoise was once the pampered pet of Robert Clive, the British general who helped colonize India in the mid-18th century.
Local historians say he was brought from the island of Aldabra in the Seychelles and presented to Clive by sailors working for the East India Company.
Addwaitya weighed five hundred pounds and was five feet wide.
One keeper said, "His death is heartbreaking. He was a permanent fixture. We will miss him."
CHIHUAHUA ADOPTS BABY BIRD
GUIYANG CITY, China — A pet chihuahua has adopted a baby chick.
Huahua took charge of the baby chicken as soon as owner Liu Bangyang's daughter brought it home.
She regards the chick as her baby and stands guard to make sure it comes to no harm. Whenever the chick strays too far, Huahua picks it up gently in her mouth and puts it back in its cot.
Liu told a local newspaper, "We'll try our best to raise the little chicken, if that's what Huahua wants."
STOLEN DOG REUNITED WITH FAMILY AFTER NEARLY A DECADE
BERLIN — A German family have been reunited with their stolen golden retriever dog — after nine years. A tattoo used to register the dog's pedigree helped finally track it down to an animal shelter 600 miles away.
Gerti and Paul Lole had long since given up all hope of seeing their beloved Rieke again after it disappeared from the back yard of their home in Niedersachsenaged. The dog was found in Spandau and taken to the refuge in Berlin.
"We left for Berlin as soon as we got the message," said Pail Lole. He said Rieke had been suspicious at first but had quickly regained confidence in her former owners.
Vets at the animal refuge believe the dog was stolen for breeding purposes.
"At least she can have a nice retirement now," said Gerti Lole.
FURRY, HOPPING SHARK DISCOVERED
COBURG, Germany — A new species of "furry" shark which hops like a frog has been discovered in a German aquarium.
The 28-inch long female shark, nicknamed Cuddles, is covered in hairy bristles. She also has big nostrils and an extra gill that set her apart from the 405 known shark species.
Marine biologists say her fins are smaller but more muscular than those found on similar-sized sharks. She claps these together in order to hop across the bottom of her tank rather than swimming like other sharks.
"She leaps over the seabed like a frog rather than swimming gracefully like most sharks," said Peter Faltermeer, curator at the Sea Star aquarium in Coburg.
CAT SURVIVES TRIP ON CAR ROOF
RHYL, Wales — A cat named Joe escaped injury despite clinging to the roof of a car as his human drove to work.
Staff nurse Adria Bryan couldn't understand why other drivers flashed their lights at her as she sped to work in north Wales.
When she finally pulled over, she was horrified to find Joe on top of her Ford Escort.
"I must have been doing 60," she said. "Joe clung on for dear life with his claws to the groove at the top of the rear door. It's unbelievable."
NEW BIG-EAR CHAMP
SOUTHWICK, England — A bassett hound named Mr. Jeffries has been declared the dog with the world's longest ears.
He replaces his own grandfather for the title, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Mr. Jeffries has ears which measure 11½ inches.
His grandfather was Biggles, the face of Hush Puppies shoes.
Phil Jeffries said his pet — whose ears are insured for $20,000 — often stands on his ears, trips over them and dips them in his food and water.
