ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Video of giant alligator draws crowds to Florida preserve

LAKELAND, Fla.

Video of a massive alligator caught walking through a Florida nature reserve in front of stunned onlookers has prompted crowds of people hoping to catch their own glimpse.

The video taken by a visitor to the Circle B Bar Reserve on Jan. 15 shows the gator estimated to be about 12-feet long lumbering across a trail.

WFLA-TV reported that officials are concerned the increased attention brought on by the video could pose a danger to the gators. Polk County Natural Resources Director Jeff Spence says they’ve already asked one person to leave who ran off a trail hoping for a picture of the animal.

If a person is involved in an incident with a gator, Spence says the animal will most likely have to be killed.

He says they don’t want to have to do that “because someone is doing something they shouldn’t.”

Driver clocked at 91 mph in snowstorm wanted new car stereo installed

CONCORD, N.H.

New Hampshire State Police say a driver clocked at 91 mph during a snowstorm said she was late for an appointment to have a new car stereo installed.

Police say they stopped 21-year-old Anastacia Hocking, of Laconia, on Interstate 93 in Concord on Jan. 18. The highway was covered with snow and slush.

Speed limits in Concord range from 55 to 65 mph on I-93. But state police had reduced speeds to 45 mph because of the storm.

Hocking was arrested on a reckless driving charge and is scheduled to be arraigned March 3.

It wasn’t immediately known if she had a lawyer, and a phone number couldn’t be found for her.

Raccoons recover at zoo after cross-country ride

OAKLAND, Calif.

Baby raccoons that inadvertently hitched a cross-country ride to Northern California are recovering at the Oakland Zoo.

Animal care authorities said Jan. 17 that in September, a man unknowingly transported the raccoons from Florida to Marin County in a moving truck.

The truck had been burglarized while in Florida, allowing a pregnant raccoon to enter through a broken window and give birth. The man discovered the raccoons while unloading his truck. Five of six baby raccoons survived but were near death after being without food or water for days.

Wildlife education center WildCare nursed the raccoons to health, but found they could not release the animals into the wild.

The Oakland Zoo is caring for the raccoons until they can be placed at a sanctuary or another zoo.

Associated Press