FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Authorities in Flagstaff, Ariz., are assuring residents there are no rogue pandas roaming the city after some pranksters got creative with an electronic street sign.
The Arizona Department of Transportation-controlled sign was set up to warn drivers not to make left turns at a busy intersection. But motorists heading to work Monday morning got an entirely different message: "Rogue panda on rampage."
A passer-by reported the hacked sign to police at about 3 a.m. Monday.
Transportation Department spokeswoman Mackenzie Nuno says the sign was restored to its original message by 11 a.m. She says the agency has no suspects, but she noted the hackers would have needed specialized equipment to change the sign.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/24/ariz-street-sign-prank-warns-of-rogue-panda_n_934843.html
Showing posts with label pranks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pranks. Show all posts
Friday, August 26, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Orange Gator Discovered in Florida, But Is It a Dye Job?
 |
| Sylvia Mythen, a 74-year-old woman from Venice, Fla., snapped the photo of this orange alligator sunning itself by a pond near her home. Florida Wildlife Commission experts have analyzed the photo and determined that the reptile's coloring is not genetic. Officials suspect the animal might be the victim of a prank but won't know for sure until they can examine it. Sylvia Mythen, AP. |
Dave Thier
Contributor
College football fans know the Florida Gators are orange and blue, but that, of course, is just a uniform.
In the wild, Florida alligators are a grayish black on top, with a lighter-colored belly. Usually.
One alligator in Venice, Fla., defies that rule. On Tuesday, 74-year-old Sylvia Mythen discovered an orange alligator sunning itself in a pond near her home, and it was so surprising that she had to get her camera.
After Mythen snapped the photo, she contacted her local news station and a biologist. But really, she just wanted to show her grandkids in Indiana.
"I thought, 'This is great. ... I'm going to snap a picture and send it to my grandkids so they think I'm one of the coolest grandmas in Florida,' " she told ABC 7.
Originally, the biologist thought the alligator could be part albino, but experts with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have analyzed the images, and they have determined that the animal's coloring is not genetic. They suspect that the gator's coloring came from something in the environment.
Mud is a possibility, but Mythen is skeptical.
"If it was mud, he did a good job of covering himself ... every nook and cranny," she says.
Geoff Isles, district manager for an wildlife control company in Sarasota, Fla., is stymied.
"I would have no idea how to dye an alligator -- especially a normal skin-toned alligator in his natural state," he told AOL News. "Their skin is just so extremely thick that I don't know how, short of tattooing, you would get it that color."
He suspects a prank, especially considering the animal's strangely similar tone to the university mascot. The only way he said he could think of getting that done would be by using spray paint.
Theories abound, but until experts get their hands on the animal itself, it seems unlikely they'll be able to say anything definitive. Until then, maybe look for a UF fan with a few missing fingers and some empty cans of orange spray paint.
Orange Gator Discovered in Florida, But Is It a Dye Job?
|
| Sylvia Mythen, a 74-year-old woman from Venice, Fla., snapped the photo of this orange alligator sunning itself by a pond near her home. Florida Wildlife Commission experts have analyzed the photo and determined that the reptile's coloring is not genetic. Officials suspect the animal might be the victim of a prank but won't know for sure until they can examine it. Sylvia Mythen, AP. |
Dave Thier
Contributor
College football fans know the Florida Gators are orange and blue, but that, of course, is just a uniform.
In the wild, Florida alligators are a grayish black on top, with a lighter-colored belly. Usually.
One alligator in Venice, Fla., defies that rule. On Tuesday, 74-year-old Sylvia Mythen discovered an orange alligator sunning itself in a pond near her home, and it was so surprising that she had to get her camera.
After Mythen snapped the photo, she contacted her local news station and a biologist. But really, she just wanted to show her grandkids in Indiana.
"I thought, 'This is great. ... I'm going to snap a picture and send it to my grandkids so they think I'm one of the coolest grandmas in Florida,' " she told ABC 7.
Originally, the biologist thought the alligator could be part albino, but experts with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have analyzed the images, and they have determined that the animal's coloring is not genetic. They suspect that the gator's coloring came from something in the environment.
Mud is a possibility, but Mythen is skeptical.
"If it was mud, he did a good job of covering himself ... every nook and cranny," she says.
Geoff Isles, district manager for an wildlife control company in Sarasota, Fla., is stymied.
"I would have no idea how to dye an alligator -- especially a normal skin-toned alligator in his natural state," he told AOL News. "Their skin is just so extremely thick that I don't know how, short of tattooing, you would get it that color."
He suspects a prank, especially considering the animal's strangely similar tone to the university mascot. The only way he said he could think of getting that done would be by using spray paint.
Theories abound, but until experts get their hands on the animal itself, it seems unlikely they'll be able to say anything definitive. Until then, maybe look for a UF fan with a few missing fingers and some empty cans of orange spray paint.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Pekinite allegedly chucks dead squirrel into drive-through
By MATT BUEDEL OF THE JOURNAL STAR
BARTONVILLE —
What would you do if a pal left a dead squirrel on your dashboard as a joke?
A) Laugh it off. Dispose of the carcass post-haste. Disinfect.
B) Abandon vehicle and friend.
C) Adopt the dead rodent as a pet and deposit it at the closest
fast-food restaurant drive-through window.
Christopher Thompson allegedly chose the last option Friday.
According to Bartonville police, the 26-year-old Pekinite had been at a friend's place working on a recently purchased vehicle earlier in the day when the friend placed a lifeless squirrel on the dash.
Thompson told police he saw the animal but decided to leave it there as he departed. It still was on the dashboard about 9:45 p.m. when he pulled into the drive-through lane of the Bartonville Hardee's
restaurant at 5515 S. Adams St.
After he pulled up to the window and received his order, he asked the attendant for "extra nuts" for his pet squirrel. The woman later told police he was holding and petting the dead rodent.
She expressed her disbelief at the scene unfolding before her eyes. "That squirrel is not real," she told the customer, according to a report. Then she turned to walk away.
Thompson allegedly retorted: "Yes, it is." And to validate the accuracy of his statement, he tossed the animal through the open window, where it skidded across a ledge and landed on the floor of the
restaurant. He then drove away.
A customer picked up the carcass and set it outside in the snow. Police found and photographed the evidence.
A detective didn't catch up with Thompson for several days, but the suspect knew right away what they wanted. He told police the incident was a "stupid prank" and he was issued a notice to appear in court on
a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. He also told police he thought the drive-through window was closing and that the animal would not end up in the restaurant.
Thompson did not return a call from the Journal Star on Thursday. The incident does not appear to be related to so-called "fire in the hole" acts where drivers record themselves throwing drinks back through
drive-through windows and post the videos online.
BARTONVILLE —
What would you do if a pal left a dead squirrel on your dashboard as a joke?
A) Laugh it off. Dispose of the carcass post-haste. Disinfect.
B) Abandon vehicle and friend.
C) Adopt the dead rodent as a pet and deposit it at the closest
fast-food restaurant drive-through window.
Christopher Thompson allegedly chose the last option Friday.
According to Bartonville police, the 26-year-old Pekinite had been at a friend's place working on a recently purchased vehicle earlier in the day when the friend placed a lifeless squirrel on the dash.
Thompson told police he saw the animal but decided to leave it there as he departed. It still was on the dashboard about 9:45 p.m. when he pulled into the drive-through lane of the Bartonville Hardee's
restaurant at 5515 S. Adams St.
After he pulled up to the window and received his order, he asked the attendant for "extra nuts" for his pet squirrel. The woman later told police he was holding and petting the dead rodent.
She expressed her disbelief at the scene unfolding before her eyes. "That squirrel is not real," she told the customer, according to a report. Then she turned to walk away.
Thompson allegedly retorted: "Yes, it is." And to validate the accuracy of his statement, he tossed the animal through the open window, where it skidded across a ledge and landed on the floor of the
restaurant. He then drove away.
A customer picked up the carcass and set it outside in the snow. Police found and photographed the evidence.
A detective didn't catch up with Thompson for several days, but the suspect knew right away what they wanted. He told police the incident was a "stupid prank" and he was issued a notice to appear in court on
a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. He also told police he thought the drive-through window was closing and that the animal would not end up in the restaurant.
Thompson did not return a call from the Journal Star on Thursday. The incident does not appear to be related to so-called "fire in the hole" acts where drivers record themselves throwing drinks back through
drive-through windows and post the videos online.
Pekinite allegedly chucks dead squirrel into drive-through
By MATT BUEDEL OF THE JOURNAL STAR
BARTONVILLE —
What would you do if a pal left a dead squirrel on your dashboard as a joke?
A) Laugh it off. Dispose of the carcass post-haste. Disinfect.
B) Abandon vehicle and friend.
C) Adopt the dead rodent as a pet and deposit it at the closest
fast-food restaurant drive-through window.
Christopher Thompson allegedly chose the last option Friday.
According to Bartonville police, the 26-year-old Pekinite had been at a friend's place working on a recently purchased vehicle earlier in the day when the friend placed a lifeless squirrel on the dash.
Thompson told police he saw the animal but decided to leave it there as he departed. It still was on the dashboard about 9:45 p.m. when he pulled into the drive-through lane of the Bartonville Hardee's
restaurant at 5515 S. Adams St.
After he pulled up to the window and received his order, he asked the attendant for "extra nuts" for his pet squirrel. The woman later told police he was holding and petting the dead rodent.
She expressed her disbelief at the scene unfolding before her eyes. "That squirrel is not real," she told the customer, according to a report. Then she turned to walk away.
Thompson allegedly retorted: "Yes, it is." And to validate the accuracy of his statement, he tossed the animal through the open window, where it skidded across a ledge and landed on the floor of the
restaurant. He then drove away.
A customer picked up the carcass and set it outside in the snow. Police found and photographed the evidence.
A detective didn't catch up with Thompson for several days, but the suspect knew right away what they wanted. He told police the incident was a "stupid prank" and he was issued a notice to appear in court on
a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. He also told police he thought the drive-through window was closing and that the animal would not end up in the restaurant.
Thompson did not return a call from the Journal Star on Thursday. The incident does not appear to be related to so-called "fire in the hole" acts where drivers record themselves throwing drinks back through
drive-through windows and post the videos online.
BARTONVILLE —
What would you do if a pal left a dead squirrel on your dashboard as a joke?
A) Laugh it off. Dispose of the carcass post-haste. Disinfect.
B) Abandon vehicle and friend.
C) Adopt the dead rodent as a pet and deposit it at the closest
fast-food restaurant drive-through window.
Christopher Thompson allegedly chose the last option Friday.
According to Bartonville police, the 26-year-old Pekinite had been at a friend's place working on a recently purchased vehicle earlier in the day when the friend placed a lifeless squirrel on the dash.
Thompson told police he saw the animal but decided to leave it there as he departed. It still was on the dashboard about 9:45 p.m. when he pulled into the drive-through lane of the Bartonville Hardee's
restaurant at 5515 S. Adams St.
After he pulled up to the window and received his order, he asked the attendant for "extra nuts" for his pet squirrel. The woman later told police he was holding and petting the dead rodent.
She expressed her disbelief at the scene unfolding before her eyes. "That squirrel is not real," she told the customer, according to a report. Then she turned to walk away.
Thompson allegedly retorted: "Yes, it is." And to validate the accuracy of his statement, he tossed the animal through the open window, where it skidded across a ledge and landed on the floor of the
restaurant. He then drove away.
A customer picked up the carcass and set it outside in the snow. Police found and photographed the evidence.
A detective didn't catch up with Thompson for several days, but the suspect knew right away what they wanted. He told police the incident was a "stupid prank" and he was issued a notice to appear in court on
a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. He also told police he thought the drive-through window was closing and that the animal would not end up in the restaurant.
Thompson did not return a call from the Journal Star on Thursday. The incident does not appear to be related to so-called "fire in the hole" acts where drivers record themselves throwing drinks back through
drive-through windows and post the videos online.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Oh balls: vandals target Rocky bulls
By Maria HatzakisIt claims to be the beef capital of Australia and Rockhampton's enthusiasm for the animals even extends to statues of bulls dotted around the city.
But the masculinity of the beasts has been the matter of some animated discussion.
Central Queensland University's student union president, Brendan Kirkman, says the statues have proven irresistible to pranksters.
"It seems to be a bit of an ongoing trend in Rockhampton that the bulls will lose some of their pieces - the bulls' balls," he said.
"It's the long-running joke that they be collected or removed."
Mr Kirkman concedes the quest is "a little strange", but puts it down to things that sometimes happen at university.
"I'm certainly not going to incriminate myself or anybody else, but they were taken as a bit of trophy," he said.
Tradesman Chris Murphy, who has been repairing Rockhampton's bull statues for more than a decade, takes it more seriously.
"It's of absolute importance because of the number of beef people that are coming through the town," he said.
"We don't want to be looked at as a joke and I think keeping the bulls in good shape and well painted and dressed up is what we owe the beef industry here in Rockhampton."
Rockhampton's Mayor Brad Carter agrees.
"These are lifelike statues representing the beef industry and they should represent an entire animal, not just an animal that's been defaced, so it is important we keep them intact," he said.
But Councillor Carters says it has made Rockhampton more notable.
"I think it shows a bit of the light-hearted nature of our community, that we do enjoy a joke, we do look on the lighter side of life," he said.
"I think it's just a great testament to the fact that our history and heritage of this region has been developed around the beef industry."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/22/2880474.htm
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