BS: The fox blew up one stormy night

Subject: The fox blew up one stormy night
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 10:41 AM

Thought we ought to lighten up a bit,after the recent batch of grumpy posts, so here's another bizarre story that mught make a ballad some day (weak music linkage):
"This whole story has been blown out of all proportion," said a spokeswoman for the Over and Sons garage in Aspatria. "It's true that last week a man walked onto our forecourt in the Market Place with a fox under his arm, pushed the nozzle of the compressed air line into the animal's rectum, put 20p in the slot, and pumped it until it exploded. But what the newspaper reports didn't mention was that the animal was already dead." The spokeswoman explained that the garage had been under siege for several days following reports about the incident. "There were animal parts scattered all over the forecourt, and a lot of people were shocked and horrified. A report appeared in the local paper, talking about 'this sickening and horrible act,' and next day the nasty phone calls started. Animal rights activists even threatened to make reprisal attacks on the garage, and we had to call more staff in, because nobody would work here alone. But what had really happened was that an amateur taxidermist had brought the dead fox in, and asked if he could pump some air between the fur and the skin, to loosen the pelt. We said he could, but I think he overdid it a bit, then ran away in embarrassment. It ought to be obvious to anyone that the animal couldn't have been alive. I mean, it's hard enough to even hold a live fox, let alone insert an air-line up its rectum. I should imagine." Police later confirmed that they had spoken to a man about the incident. "We are convinced that no criminal act has taken place, but we did warn him about the inadvisability of inflating animals in a public place." (The Times & Star [Cumbria], 23/6/00. Spotter: Wesley Stanton)
cut 'n' pasted from Private Eye
RtS (love the last sentence -'Spaw beware when you're playing the possum ocarina!)

Subject: RE: BS: The fox blew up one stormy night
From: Brendy
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 10:44 AM

We used to do that to frogs when we were kids.
Except we used a straw.

The things you do, eh?

B.

Subject: RE: BS: The fox blew up one stormy night
From: Mrrzy
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 10:47 AM

What happened to the frogs? Did they just float better? Also, if this isn't an urban legend, it ought to become one. Let's all start saying we knew someone who was at the store when this happened...

Subject: RE: BS: The fox blew up one stormy night
From: Brendy
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 10:49 AM

They blew up, what else.
Not a pretty sight!!

Ahhhh. Those gentle days of childhood!

B.

Subject: RE: BS: The fox blew up one stormy night
From: sophocleese
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 11:18 AM

Hey guys check out the Foxy Song Challenge thread. I posted a link there to the same story. Killed myself laughing when I first heard it.

Subject: RE: BS: The fox blew up one stormy night
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 11:30 AM

Apologies, Soph, for hi-jacking your idea, should have read ALL the threads,shouldn't I?
Rts:o(

Subject: RE: BS: The fox blew up one stormy night
From: sophocleese
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 11:34 AM

Don't worry RTS, I thought the double posting was funny and am glad, actually, to find out that I'm not the only one who thought the story hilarious enough to post.

Subject: RE: BS: The fox blew up one stormy night
From: Rana who SHOULD be working
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 11:38 AM

Hope this is not considered thread creep.

A few years ago at the Millrace Folk Festival in Cambridge Ontario I saw a Latvian (or one of those other countries in that region) pipe player playing a traditional bagpipe from that region. It was the complete skin of a small furry animal. The mouth piece was through the mouth etc.

Sounded good but looked very bizarre.

Rana