ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Grinch steals Christmas from nuns; they get it back

COLUMBIA, Md.

The Little Sisters of the Poor have a theory about how they got Christmas back from the Grinch who stole half the presents they bought for hospice residents and employees.

Sister Joseph Caroline and Sister Bernadette were wheeling two carts of gifts out of Costco recently when they were approached by a man who offered to help. Sister Bernadette tells WBAL-TV she expressed gratefulness for his gesture and told him she’d pray for him.

When the nuns got home, they discovered that half the gifts for the order’s St. Martin’s Home residents and employees were missing.

But before they could file a police report, Costco called: Their cart had been found abandoned in a parking lot, contents intact.

The nuns believe Sister Bernadette’s gratitude deflated the man’s intentions.

Steer too beefy to become burgers heads to farm life

LAKE PRESTON, Australia

Knickers the steer is huge on the internet – for being huge.

The black-and-white Holstein Friesian won social media fame and many proclamations of “Holy Cow!” after photos surfaced of the 6-foot-4-inch steer standing head and shoulders above a herd of brown wagyu cattle in Western Australia state.

Owner Geoff Pearson said Knickers was too heavy to go to the slaughterhouse. “We have a high turnover of cattle, and he was lucky enough to stay behind,” Pearson said.

Australian media say Knickers is believed to be the tallest steer in the country and weighs about 1.4 tons.

Instead of becoming steaks and burgers, 7-year-old Knickers will get to live out his life in Pearson’s fields in Lake Preston, southwest of Perth.

Police: Exotic birds worth $15K stolen from pet store

NEW HAVEN, Conn.

Police say exotic birds equaling a total of $15,000 were stolen from a Connecticut pet store last week.

New Haven police say the call came in early Nov. 27 when a newspaper delivery man noticed a pried-open door at a pet store. The Connecticut Post reports that responding officers found scattered pet food and colorful bird feathers strewn about the store.

The store owner was called to the scene, and told them that several high-priced birds were gone – nearly $15,000 in rare parrots, conures and cockatoos. Police say the most valuable missing bird is a scarlet macaw valued at nearly $2,800.

New Haven police say the illegal trade of stolen exotic pets is a rare investigation for local law enforcement. Police are looking through surveillance videos for information.

Associated Press