Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

O.J. judge can't stop nameplate theft

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Los Angeles Judge Lance Ito, famous for presiding over the O.J. Simpson murder trial, says he's given up on replacing nameplates stolen from his courtroom.

Ito's ninth-floor courtroom at the criminal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles has gone without an identifying placard for years, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. Ito used to replace the nameplate each time it was filched but in an e-mail to a court public information officer he confirmed he gave up years ago, the newspaper said.

Courthouse officials said they suspect the nameplate thefts were carried out by souvenir hunters.

Ito's image became so familiar during the televised Simpson trial NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" had a regular feature called "The Dancing Itos" -- a group of Ito lookalikes in judges' robes.

Ito did not comment for the Times report, maintaining his refusal to grant virtually all interviews since the trial in which Simpson was acquitted on charges he killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a friend, Ron Goldman.

-0-

Deer stunned by Toronto police

TORONTO, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Police used tranquilizer and stun guns Tuesday to incapacitate a young doe that wandered into downtown Toronto.

Officers fired a Taser at the deer after a shot from a tranquilizer gun failed to stop it, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Assisted by staff from the animal services department, officers then moved in with a net and carted the animal to a zoo for monitoring by a veterinarian and eventual release in the wild.

The doe, estimated at about 2 years old, was first spotted near Union Station early Tuesday. It strolled north for several blocks before stopping outside an Edward Street building.

Officials waited until after the morning rush hour before trying to capture it. That gave passersby time to catch a rare close glimpse of wildlife in an urban setting and take photographs.

"This is so cute. I mean, I've seen them by the highway, but never downtown, that's for sure," Christine Reeder, one of the gawkers, told the CBC.

-0-

Zoo selling reindeer poo necklaces

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Officials at an Illinois zoo said the facility's gift shops will soon be selling necklace pendants made from dried reindeer dung.

The Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington said the Magical Reindeer Gem necklaces, which go on sale Friday for $15 each, were inspired by tree ornaments made from the same substance that went on sale at the zoo last year, The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reported.

"We kept hearing from people who were buying the ornaments, 'Do you have any jewelry?'" said Susie Ohley, spokeswoman for the Miller Park Zoological Society.

"We thought we would make them available for the big shopping day," she said of the launch Friday, the largest shopping day of the year. "It may be silly, but it not only brings in money and support to the zoo, (but) it brings people smiles."

Ohley said the zoo expects to make as much as $16,500 from sales of the ornaments and necklaces during the holiday season.

-0-

Loose monkey keeps moving

PALM HARBOR, Fla., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Florida wildlife authorities said the loose monkey spotted across the Tampa Bay area is again on the move in the city of Palm Harbor.

Experts said the monkey, believed to be a member of the macaque family, has apparently traveled 21 miles in two counties in 11 days and was last spotted running into some woods Monday in Palm Harbor, about a half mile from where it was seen at an apartment complex Sunday, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said the monkey has proven difficult to catch.

"It's an iffy proposition when you get into heavily urbanized areas with a lot of traffic," commission spokesman Gary Morse said. "When you dart, you have to be careful to recover the dart and the monkey has a tendency to throw the dart back at you. This is a very difficult situation."

Officials said they are still investigating the primate's origins.