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The Rhodesia Herald,
May 11, 1965
NEW YORK. – A penguin riding a New York underground train was taken into custody after biting a detective on the thumb.
Detective Stephen Fulgieri, on special duty, was watching a group of six or seven noisy teenagers on the train.
“I did not notice that they had anything with them,” Fulgieri reported later, “but they were rowdy and after a while, I warned them to quieten down or I would eject them from the car.
“Later they ran off the train. Then I noticed a brown cardboard box about 2ft high, 3ft wide and 2ft deep. It was tied with a rope. It seemed to move. I hit it with my nightstick. A little beak shot out.
“I thought it was a seagull inside. I got off the train, untied the box and took the cover off, expecting something to fly out.”
Nothing flew out, however, so Fulgieri reached inside.
“This thing bit me on the left thumb. It drew blood. I got mad and kicked the box. It fell over on its side and this thing walked out and started walking along the platform. I nearly passed out. Someone told me it was a penguin.”
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- Absurd and funny as it may sound, one wonders what charges the police preferred against the penguin, and whether it needed legal representation.
- When dealing with something that is concealed, one needs to take extra care, especially when reaching inside a bag. The most sensible thing is for the thing to come out first, then determine the best way to deal with it.
- Sometimes, when trying to catch something, the best tactic is not to run after it, but to wait and let it come to you or something that it is attracted to. In the story the detective failed to catch the penguin when he chased it around, but it returned to its box once he had laid it on the floor.
- When animals or people feel cornered, their first instinct in most cases is to strike out as a defence tactic.
- Animals need to be treated with care. Any form of cruelty meted against them will turn them into vicious creatures.
Online Reporter