ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Ax crashes through car windshield on highway

TOPSFIELD, Mass.

It was a scary moment on a highway north of Boston when an ax smashed through the windshield of a car.

Massachusetts State Police say the ax bounced out of a landscaper’s dumptruck about 11 a.m. July 30 on southbound Interstate 95 in Topsfield. They released a photo showing the ax with a corner of its blade stuck in the passenger side of the car’s dashboard. The handle was sticking through the windshield.

Police say the car’s passenger was “shaken up” but not hurt. The truck driver, from Peabody, Mass., was cited for failing to secure the ax, which carries a $200 fine.

Police say it could have been worse if the car’s driver hadn’t been obeying the 65 mph speed limit.

Police aren’t identifying the motorists.

Oakland Zoo animals enjoy tropical fruit after truck crash

OAKLAND, Calif.

Animals at the Oakland Zoo were treated to a buffet of tropical fruit after a truck spilled its shipment on a freeway.

The Oakland Tribune reported that about 13,000 pounds of plantains and jackfruit were donated to the zoo recently after the fruit truck overturned on Interstate 580. Nobody was hurt.

Bears, giraffes and elephants dined on the treats, though zookeepers say some of the animals were hesitant to taste the unusual fruits.

Zoological manager Darren Minier said only fruit in good condition without major bruising, broken skin or insects would be fed to the animals.

The newspaper reported that the Alameda County Food Bank received about 35,000 pounds of fruit, as well.

The fruit spilled after the truck collided with a pickup in the Altamont Pass.

Champion goat disappears from county fair in Colorado

GREELEY, Colo.

Police in Greeley, Colo., are investigating who’s got the goat — a grand-champion animal that vanished from a county fair.

The Greeley Tribune reported that the red-colored Boer goat was reported missing in late July, hours before it was scheduled to appear at the Weld County fair’s junior livestock auction. Two of the animal’s halters also were gone.

The goat is owned by 18-year-old David Smith of Niwot, Colo. Smith’s father says he doesn’t want to insinuate that someone stole the goat. He says it’s possible the goat escaped and is just out in a cornfield somewhere.

Despite the goat’s absence, the auction went ahead, and the prize-winning animal sold for $5,500 to MS Biotec.

Police say they don’t have any leads.

Associated Press