Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Criminals gets birthday cards from police LONDON, April 26 (UPI) -- A British birthday card initiative is being described by a police chief as a new and different approach to curbing criminal activity. Advertisement The Greater Manchester Police have sent birthday cards to people convicted of crimes in the Stockport area or the "small number of offenders who commit the majority of crimes in and around the Stockport area, including burglary, street robbery and car crime," according to Chief Superintendent Neil Wain. "On your birthday we wish you well. We would hate to see you in a cell. Time to change, we can assist. Let's cross your name off our list," said one card, the Sun reported Tuesday. "A card is personal and it's our intention to let these prolific offenders know that we have an interest in them and know where they are," said Wain. "We're not only aiming to bring these offenders to justice, but to also stop them re-offending in the future." Advertisement Toads are exploding in Germany HAMBURG, Germany, April 26 (UPI) -- Exploding toads -- they balloon to more than three times their normal size and then explode -- are baffling residents in Hamburg, Germany. Thousands of toad's entrails have been thrown a yard away as a result of each explosion, reported the Times of London Tuesday. Wildlife experts have been summoned to explain the phenomenon, which has occurred around a Hamburg lake. "The worst thing is that they're not dead immediately," said biologist Heidi Mayerhofer. "They have to fight for their lives for minutes on end despite the fact that their entrails have been shot across the park." No obvious bacteria or deadly pollution seems to be present in the lake water. But some speculate the toads swell up as a defense mechanism to thwart bird attacks, and then the process sometimes gets out of control. Buffaloes join Baltimore rush hour BALTIMORE, April 26 (UPI) -- Baltimore's Tuesday morning rush hour turned wild and wooly when nine buffaloes escaped from their farm and headed for the highway. When police received calls about the errant bison shortly before 8 a.m., they summoned a livestock transport truck and set about trying to slow traffic, while also trying to herd the shaggy animals away from the highway. Advertisement The small herd was corralled onto an apartment complex tennis court, where officers filled a plastic children's pool with water for the animals. WBAL-TV, Baltimore, said dozens of people gathered at the fenced tennis court to watch the animals. No injuries or accidents were reported as a result of the escape. Rattlesnake roundups popular but dwindling TAYLOR, Texas, April 26 (UPI) -- The Texas Snake Man and his partner won the National Rattlesnake Sacking Championship at Taylor, Texas, by stuffing 10 snakes into a bag in 30.75 seconds. The effort by veteran rattlesnake handler Jack Bibby, along with self-described snake charmer Ken Garrett, was short of the world record 17.11 seconds that Bibby set earlier, according to his Web site. Bibby, a Fort Worth native known as the Texas Snake Man, holds records for other rattlesnake feats in the sport that continues to be popular with crowds, despite dwindling to 28 roundups nationwide, the Los Angeles Times reported. Rattlesnake roundups, an American tradition since the 1920s, have run into increasing resistance from conservationists and a younger generation more interested in fighting computer villains. Texas is the No. 1 state for rattlesnake roundups, followed by Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, the Humane Society of the United States says. Advertisement
