Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Police: Drunk driver had zebra, parrot DUBUQUE, Iowa, May 23 (UPI) -- Police in Iowa said a man arrested on a drunken driving charge had a zebra and a macaw in the front seat of his truck. Advertisement Dubuque police said Jerald Reiter, 55, of Cascade had his exotic pets in the front seat of his truck when he was pulled over Sunday as he left the Dog House Lounge, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids reported Wednesday. Police said Reiter had a blood alcohol content of 0.14, well over the 0.08 legal limit for driving. Reiter, who said he was not planning to drive home and was about to let a passenger take the wheel when police arrived, said he and his girlfriend, Vickey Teters, treat the animals like their children and often let them ride in the car. Reiter was charged with driving while intoxicated and released Monday. Advertisement Restaurant brings in traveling zoo MIAMI, May 23 (UPI) -- A Miami restaurant slowed traffic and raised the ire of some neighbors by bringing a giraffe, a zebra, a camel and a Bengal tiger to the neighborhood. Herve Huncetler, co-owner of George's restaurant, said the eatery spent $10,000 to bring the animals to the county-owned lot across the street from the business and provide balloons and face painting for children, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday. "The strategy worked. We were busy the whole night," Huncetler said. However, some neighbors were displeased with the event. Workers at the Boca Tanning Club said customers were late for appointments due to the traffic delays and difficulty finding parking. Jill Rapperport, who teaches yoga at the Tropical Audubon Society Botanical Gardens, said she and some others were upset by the small size of the animals' cages. "We love nature and peace around here," she said. Beijing: Only two flies per toilet BEIJING, May 23 (UPI) -- City officials in Beijing said they are suggesting new standards for public toilets to allow only two flies per facility. The Beijing Municipal Commission of City Administration and Environment released new policies Monday asking workers in parks, tourist areas, transport stations, hospitals, shopping centers and supermarkets to ensure toilets have no more than two flies buzzing around and no more than two pieces of discarded trash to be picked up each half hour, China Daily reported Wednesday. Advertisement Xie Guomin, head of the sanitation management division, told the Beijing Evening News the new rules, which also ask workers to ensure facilities are equipped to cater to the elderly and disabled, are optional and aim to improve the cleanliness of the city's public bathrooms. Marijuana found in 6-year-old's backpack ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 23 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said they arrested the father of a 6-year-old whose backpack was found to contain more than 3 ounces of marijuana and a scale. St. Petersburg police spokesman said the kindergartener showed the drugs and the scale to a teacher Tuesday at Campbell Park Elementary Marine Science Center, the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times reported Wednesday. Police said the child's father, Larry Cornelius Stephens, 25, claimed ownership of the drugs and was arrested on charges of child abuse and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. "We think he claimed responsibility so that we knew it did not belong to his child," police spokesman Bill Proffitt said. Proffitt said police have not determined whether the father intended for the child to take the drugs to school.
