Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Croc crook returns reptile BERGEN, Norway, April 1 (UPI) -- An animal rights activist has returned a kidnapped crocodile to a Bergen, Norway, aquarium, saying he took the reptile to protest its living conditions. Advertisement Valen Ganev, who works as a spokesman for a Web site that specializes in reptiles, said after returning the crocodile, named Taggen, that the facility does not properly house its reptiles, Aftenposten reported Tuesday. "Several of the animals couldn't hide from one another," he said. "Many of the crocodiles live in fear. It was sad to see them suffer in this way." Ganev said he is prepared to accept the consequences for the crocodile kidnapping. Kees Ekeli, managing director of the aquarium, called the admitted reptile kidnapper's claims "idiotic." "This is the stupidest I've heard," Ekeli said. "We do all we can so that the animals can have a good life, and they do, really." Advertisement Ekeli said the facility is working to improve security. Man had no warrants before fleeing NEW ORLEANS, April 1 (UPI) -- New Orleans authorities say a man who mistakenly believed there was a warrant for his arrest has been charged for fleeing from a sheriff's deputy. Jefferson Parish sheriff's spokesman Col. John Fortunato said Gregory Williams, 27, ran from Sgt. Jimmy Wine, prompting the sergeant to give pursuit, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Tuesday. Fortunato said Wine had approached Williams while investigating a report of a suspicious person in the area. He said the ensuing 20-minute chase climaxed when the suspect ran through a residence and broke a backyard fence before being caught by the pursuing sergeant. Williams was charged with resisting arrest, simple burglary and simple criminal damage. The spokesman said Williams told authorities he ran from Wine because he thought there was a warrant for his arrest. However, Fortunato said, "he didn't have any warrants." Police: Suspect's wallet found near bank NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- New York police said they were hunting for a suspected bank robber who shed his clothes outside one bank he allegedly targeted and left his wallet in his pants. Advertisement Police said Cory Brown, 26, became the prime suspect in robberies at a Wachovia bank and a Commerce Bank after his clothes were found piled next to a tree near the Commerce location with his wallet still in the pants pocket, the New York Post reported Tuesday. The wallet contained Brown's birth certificate and Social Security card. Police said about $3,900 was taken from the two banks. Sarcozy to get taller -- April Fool's! LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- British newspapers marked April Fool's Day Tuesday with fake reports of France's president undergoing height-enhancing surgery and of flying penguins. The Sun jokingly reported French President Nicolas Sarkozy was preparing to be operated on by a made-up Israeli academic named "Ura Schmuck" to increase his height, The Guardian said in its fake report that Sarkozy's wife, supermodel Carla Bruni, had been hired by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to head a program aimed at bringing more style to Britain. Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph and The Mirror printed identical stories about footage of flying penguins set to be featured on a fictional BBC television special, "Miracles of Evolution." The hoax was given credence by the BBC's own Web site, which featured a link to a 90-second clip of the penguins taking off for a flight from Antarctica to the Amazon rain forest -- however, once clicked, the link leads to an advertisement for the BBC iPlayer video program. Advertisement The Express followed the April Fool's story trend with a story about the clock face of London landmark Big Ben being replaced by a digital clock.
