ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Video shows woman snatch, bag birds at park

PHILADELPHIA

A U.S. park ranger confronted a woman seen snatching birds at a historic square in Philadelphia and placing them alive in plastic bags, and she claimed she released the birds after catching them.

Videos posted to Instagram on July 11 show the woman capturing what appear to be sparrows as she and a man sit on a bench near Independence Hall.

The man appears to toss food to a cluster of birds as the woman leans down and grabs one and puts it into a small plastic bag, which she ties off as the bird flaps around inside.

Park Service spokeswoman Gina Gilliam says a ranger approached the couple Tuesday over a complaint they were catching birds.

The ranger observed empty plastic bags and told the couple that trapping wildlife in the park is illegal.

Tours and tattoos mark Friday the 13th in the US

BLAIRSTOWN, N.J.

There was nothing superstitious about Friday the 13th as two towns celebrated the day with tours or tattoos.

Masked maniacs took to the streets of Blairstown, N.J. The community and its surroundings are where the 1980 horror movie “Friday the 13th” was filmed.

Lehighvalleylive.com reports people wore hockey masks just like the killer Jason Voorhees did in the film and toured a Boy Scout camp where the film was shot. Two actors also were in town for paid events.

Meanwhile, Ghostrider’s Tattoo Studio in Lubbock, Texas, offered piercings and tattoos for $13 for the fifth year in a row. With tip, customers paid $20 for what usually costs a minimum of $50.

Others elsewhere spent the day trying to avoid black cats.

Market closed after rat spotted in bakery case

BALTIMORE

A historic Baltimore market is closed temporarily after a video posted on social media showed a rat scampering through a bakery’s display case.

The health department closed two bakery stalls at Lexington Market on July 12, one for a rodent infestation and another for a fly infestation. On July 13, management announced the market would close for an evaluation. It was to reopen July 14.

The video posted on Facebook had more than 500,000 views by midday July 13. It shows a rat climbing across two cake halves and then scurrying through piles of cookies on a higher shelf. You can hear customers’ reactions to the rat’s antics, including one person shouting, “Just grab him by the neck!”

The market was founded in 1782 and the current structure dates to the 1950s.

Associated Press