Overturned Van Spills 700 Live Rodents (Dems on the loose!)

AP ^ | 2-6-04

[Indy Pendance]

PEARISBURG, Va. (AP) -- A cargo van filled with cages carrying more than 700 gerbils, rats, mice and other rodents overturned Thursday, sending the animals scurrying onto a highway and sparking a bizarre large-scale rescue of the small animals.

The accident occurred when the van, driven by Thomas Marcinko of Zanesville, Ohio, hit an icy patch of U.S. 460 and ran off the left side of the road, hit a guardrail, overturned and slid onto the shoulder.

The animals, being transported in plastic cages, made a break for freedom.

"We caught probably 20 or 25 outside the vehicle. We caught another 25 inside the vehicle," said Bill Davis, one of eight members of the Giles County Lifesaving Squad who responded to a call for help. "Then we realized they were everywhere."

Marcinko walked away from the accident, and once he was checked out, the search for the critters was on.

"As cold as it is outside, we couldn't just leave them," Davis said. "I just started throwing them in back of the ambulance."

[evolved_rage]

Quick, call Richard Gere. He'll stuff'm back in.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

In related news, several hours after the event, hits on the Internet site Democratic Underground nearly tripled...

[FairOpinion]

The Brass Rat.

A tourist walks into a curio shop in San Francisco. Looking around at the exotica, he notices a very life-like, life-sized brass statue of a rat. It has no price tag, but is so striking he decides he must have it. He took it to the owner: "How much for the brass rat?"

"Twelve dollars for the rat, one hundred dollars for the story," said the owner.

The tourist gave the man twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story."

As he walked down the street carrying his brass rat, he noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and began following him down the street. This was disconcerting. He began walking faster. But within a couple blocks, the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing. He began to trot toward the Bay, looking around tosee that the rats now numbered in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him faster and faster. Concerned, even scared, he ran to the edge of the Bay, and threw the brass rat as far out into the Bay as he could. Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after it, and were all drowned.

The man walked back to the curio shop.

"Ah ha," said the owner, "you have come back for the story?"

"No," said the man, "I came back to see if you have a brass Democrat."

[Ragirl]

Quick, call Richard Gere. He'll stuff'm back in.

BWAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[Ichneumon]

Quick, tip over a truck full of cats!

[lmr]

ROFLMAO... That is the funniest thing I've seen or heard all day! (Wiping the Budweiser off my monitor and Keyboard)

[AnAmericanMother]

Life imitates art.

There's a Gary Larsen cartoon of a cat indoors looking longingly out the window at the wreck of a truck labeled "JOE'S RODENTS AND SMALL FLIGHTLESS BIRDS".

[FormerACLUmember]

The truck was part of a convoy carrying vast numbers of gerbils and related small rodents to Massachusetts in time to celebrate the democrat party's triumph with gay marriages.

[radiohead]

"As cold as it is outside, we couldn't just leave them," Davis said. "I just started throwing them in back of the ambulance."

I realize we are a great country and we do great things, but I often think that our greatness is built from the many little things we do as well.

mouse and gerbil bump!

[Indy Pendance]

Homeless rats, better get some benefits for them right away :o)

[sweetliberty]

"In related news, several hours after the event, hits on the Internet site Democratic Underground nearly tripled..."

LOL!"

[Tamzee]

Nahhh, not homeless... they were all Deaniacs sneaking into other states to vote in their primaries ;-)

[Corin Stormhands]

My home town ping.

[octobersky]

LOL, funny stuff on this thread...

[Consort]

Roadents

[Indy Pendance]

Wow, better get some rat traps.

[Corin Stormhands]

I don't live there now. But this may be the biggest thing to happen since "Dirty Dancing" was filmed nearby.

[Corin Stormhands]

[Afro_conservative]

Damn, Hillary is gonna be really angry knowing her dinner got loose!