ODDLY enough

ODDLY enough

Lion tranquilized outside den at zoo

SEATTLE

A lion got out of its den at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, but it didn’t get far before it was tranquilized in a service building.

The zoo says the 12-year-old female named Kalisa gained access to a hallway Tuesday afternoon. The zoo’s emergency-response team of firearms units and veterinary staff immediately responded with tranquilizer darts.

She was secured in about an hour. Two other lions remained in their dens during Kalisa’s brief escape.

The zoo is investigating how she made her break.

Wis. twins to celebrate 11th birthday on 11-11-11

MADISON, Wis.

A set of twins from Madison, Wis., have big plans for Friday: They will be celebrating their 11th birthday on the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011.

Bouncing and squirming on their grandmother’s couch, Betsy and Katie Overman are making plans: Maybe they’ll go to school and stay for just 11 minutes. Perhaps they’ll mark 11 minutes after 11 o’clock with a countdown.

The State Journal reports that an aunt has already given them 11 bags, each containing 11 little presents.

Katie is hoping to be given guinea pigs — but just two. Betsy wants a Kindle. They plan to go shopping at the Mall of America in Minnesota.

Alligator snapped up outside Mich. church

JACKSON, Mich.

Police have caught a 6-foot-long alligator that was spotted roaming the property of a southern Michigan church.

A motorist driving past the Pathway Community Church near Jackson on Monday saw the reptile and called the police.

Officers slipped a noose around the alligator’s head and secured its mouth with duct tape.

Police say the alligator is in good health and will be sent to a sanctuary.

Blackman-Leoni Township public-safety department Deputy Director Jon Johnston says the alligator was probably only recently released into the wild. Johnston says the animal would not have been able to survive the harsh temperatures of the approaching Michigan winter.

Associated Press