UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Florida deputy bitten by gator

DELTONA, Fla., May 16 (UPI) -- The Volusia County, Fla., Sheriff's Office said a deputy responding to a call about an alligator in a parking lot was bitten by the reptile.

Sheriff's Lt. Brodie Hughes said the alligator bit the deputy on the leg and a second deputy shot and wounded the gator, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Friday.

The deputies were responding to witness reports of an alligator in the parking lot of Brightside Apartments in Deltona.

The injured deputy, who had wounds to his left thigh and knee, was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center and listed in serious but stable condition.

The alligator was killed by nuisance alligator trapper Jerry Flynn, who said he plans to sell the slain reptile for its meat and hide, the Sentinel said.

Parakeet eggs lure man into live wire

PLANTATION, Fla., May 16 (UPI) -- A Plantation, Fla., man has been hospitalized after he touched a live electric wire while attempting to retrieve a nest of parakeet eggs from a substation.

A spokesman for Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami said Cameron Fritzson, 20, was in critical condition when he arrived at the hospital, but his condition has been upgraded to serious, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Friday.

Fritzson reportedly planned to sell the eggs or newborn birds to pet stores. The animals could have netted him as much as $20 each, the Sun-Sentinel said.

Experts said the incident highlights the nuisance posed by monk parakeets, a species that took up residence in the area after arriving in Florida as pets.

"I see them every day, and I ignore them," Delray Beach veteran birder Brian Hope told the Sun-Sentinel. "They are here, and there's nothing we can do about them but I wish people wouldn't let these things loose."

Utility companies said the birds cost them time and money by nesting on power poles and substations.

Woman with large cyst told to lose weight

KARLSKRONA, Sweden, May 16 (UPI) -- A Swedish doctor who overlooked a nearly 18-pound cyst on one of his female patients recommended she lose weight instead, the woman alleged.

The unidentified woman said after visiting a health clinic to complain about a swollen abdomen, she was allegedly told by a doctor to attempt to lose weight to deal with the problem, the Swedish news agency TT reported Friday.

The woman said she returned to the clinic several other times after the problem persisted and was denied when she asked for an ultrasound.

A private doctor eventually conducted an ultrasound and discovered a cyst inside her abdomen which weighed nearly 18 pounds.

The news agency said the Medical Responsibility Board has since been informed about the woman's initial doctor, who was a temporary employee at the clinic, and his inaccurate diagnosis.

Cows stampede on California highway

CONCORD, Calif., May 16 (UPI) -- The California Highway Patrol said 10 cows wandered into traffic after they escaped from a trailer on Highway 4, near the interchange with Interstate 680.

CHP officer Tom Maguire said five of the 10 cows died or had to be euthanized due to injuries sustained during collisions with passing vehicles, the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times reported Friday.

Highway patrol spokesman Sgt. Trent Cross said officers received reports of cows stampeding in traffic near Concord starting at 8:24 p.m. Thursday. He said the cows escaped from a trailer that had broken loose from its vehicle.

Police used their patrol cars to attempt to herd the cows, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"I've never seen nothing like this. This is crazy," officer Tom Stewart said. "I'm not joking, they're everywhere."