This Week's Weird News 2/11/22 – iHeart
A breakthrough which could lead to the Tasmanian Tiger being brought back to life, a crocodile stricken with a tire around its neck for six years, and a security guard who doodled on a $1 million painting. .
The famed Tasmanian Tiger found its way into the news this past week by way of a pair of stories centered around the creature that went extinct nearly a century ago. First, researchers announced that they have decoded the DNA of the animal’s closest living relative, a diminutive marsupial known as a numbat. This breakthrough, they said, could be used to develop a complete genome for the thylacine and, in turn, lead to the creature eventually being resurrected and roaming the earth again. Later in the week, the world was treated to an incredibly rare glimpse of the last living Tasmanian Tiger as a pair of lost films showcasing the animal in 1931 were unearthed by a diligent researcher searching online archives.
This past week provided a particularly uplifting story out of Indonesia when a crocodile that had a tire stuck around its neck for a staggering six years was finally freed from the onerous rubber ring. The creature’s curious condition was first noticed by wildlife officials back in 2016 and, over the years, multiple people tried to catch and help the sizeable reptile, but their efforts proved futile. That all changed when a man named Tili from the community of Sragen made it his mission to put an end to the crocodile’s plight and, after three weeks of setting baited traps, finally got a hold of the ring-clad creature on Monday evening and, with help from some onlookers, carefully removed the tire from around the animal’s neck at long last.
By far the most bizarre story of the week took place at a museum in Russia where a security guard’s first day on the job took a shocking turn when the man grew bored with his new line of work and drew eyes on a $1 million painting. The jaw-dropping act of vandalism unfolded at the city of Yekaterinburg’s Yeltsin Center, which was showcasing artist Anna Leporskaya’s piece ‘Three Figures.’ Tasked with ensuring the artwork was safe, the guard went rogue when he pulled out a ballpoint pen and decided make some additions to the piece. Fortunately, the damage was largely superficial and an art restoration expert was able to return the painting to its former glory while the man waits to find out if he’ll face criminal charges for the ill-advised doodling.
For more strange and unusual stories from the past week, check out the Coast to Coast AM website.
