Buzz
From adorable koalas to cows with unique chewing habits, our fascination with the animal world is endless. However, some take this passion to the next level, blending it with a love for tall tales. Here are 10 of the most outlandish animal hoaxes ever told.
10. The Deadly Hawk of Chicago
In 1927, Chicago was gripped by the tale of a menacing hawk preying on the city’s cherished pigeons. The story captured the public’s imagination, and soon, downtown residents—who saw the pigeons as the city's symbol—banded together to track down the bird. The saga made headlines, with a local banker offering a $50 reward for the hawk's capture and the Lincoln Park Gun Club forming a special team to eliminate the threat.
Before long, Chicago was filled with eager would-be hunters; even a group of Boy Scouts was seen marching through the streets. Eventually, a reporter from the Chicago Journal came forward, revealing that he had orchestrated the hoax. He had conceived the entire idea on a lazy afternoon while gazing out the window and spotting a hawk flying by.
9. The Cornell Rhinoceros Hoax
Footprints in the snow are nothing unusual, but when they belong to a giant creature, it’s a different story—like the ones found on Cornell University’s campus in the 1920s. The tracks led to the icy Beebe Lake, where a large hole suggested the creature had plunged into the water and drowned.
A zoologist from the university was summoned and confidently declared the tracks to be those of a rhinoceros. However, the prints were as much from a rhino as the moon is made of cheese. The marks were actually the work of Cornell student and notorious prankster Hugh Troy. Troy, with the help of a friend, had borrowed a wastepaper basket with a rhino-foot base from a professor, attached it to a clothesline, and under the cover of night, created the tracks in the snow.
8. Rats Disguised as Poodles
What kind of person would inject steroids into a rat and try to sell it as a toy poodle? And what kind of person would actually buy such a pet? Apparently, quite a few. This hoax takes place in Latin America, where a clever market vendor reportedly dupes tourists into paying for what they believe is a toy poodle, only to discover they’ve purchased a steroid-enhanced rat.
But is the ‘Mexican Pet’ a true hoax or just another urban legend? This tale has appeared in various forms over the years, even showing up in a British newspaper as early as 1952. The story of a rat or ferret disguised as a cute dog is widespread, told from Egypt to the US. Sometimes, it’s seen as a reflection of media portrayals of immigration—particularly in Western countries like the US and Britain—or of tourism, as in the case of Egypt.
7. Testicle-Eating Fish
The headline says it all: “Testicle-Biting Fish May Be Invading Denmark.” In August 2013, LiveScience warned Denmark’s residents that a piranha cousin was making its way into local waters. Fisherman Einar Lindgreen discovered the red-bellied pacu, thought to have escaped from an aquarium. Although the article clearly stated that pacu eat fruits and nuts (no joke intended), it also mentioned that the fish had earned the nickname ‘the ball-cutter’ after allegedly nipping the testicles off a few fishermen in Papua New Guinea.
One British newspaper took it a step further, quoting an expert at the National History Museum in Denmark who claimed that pacu eat testicles because they ‘sit nicely in their mouth,’ adding that some victims of these attacks had bled to death. Within days, National Geographic set the record straight. Yes, a species of fish more common to Papua New Guinea had indeed been found in Danish waters, but no, they do not bite testicles. The professor, with a peculiar sense of humor, had never intended for his warning to be taken seriously. Male readers, you can now relax and let go of your grip on your groin.
6. The Invisible Fish of South America
A desperate café owner in New York was looking for a way to attract customers. So, she came up with a clever, low-cost plan to deceive people into visiting her café. She placed a goldfish bowl filled with water on display and attached a sign that read ‘Invisible Fish from South America.’ Before long, her café was flooded with curious customers eager to spot the fish. The crowds grew so large that the police were called to disperse them.
This story was a popular one in early 20th-century America. While the invisible fish were never real, the trick certainly was. Some credit the idea to renowned publicist Harry Reichenbach, who claimed to have invented it in his memoirs, while others attribute the prank to Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. The deception was often enhanced by a hidden fan that created ripples in the water, making it appear as though a fish was swimming and flipping its fins.
5. Bonsai Kittens
“Aww, look at that adorable kitty! Look at its little face, squished against the glass of that jam jar!” These words could come from someone obsessed with the bizarre idea of fitting a live kitten into a jar. Sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it? Well, it happened. In one of the most infamous online hoaxes of the early 2000s, MIT students launched a website called Bonsai Kitty, dedicated to ‘preserving the lost art of body modification in pets,’ which supposedly involved forcing kittens to grow into the shape of the jar they were placed in.
When the site first surfaced in 2000, it sparked a wave of outrage from animal rights groups like the Humane Society of the United States. The intense attention even led to an FBI investigation. Yes, the FBI, one of the world’s top crime-fighting organizations, was reportedly looking into claims of kittens being stuffed into jars and sold online. Surely, there were more important things for them to investigate?
4. The Humpback Whale Handshake
In the world of viral inspirational emails, accuracy often takes a backseat. However, in 2010, a heartwarming story and accompanying image spread that seemed to hold some truth. The email linked to an article from the respected San Francisco Chronicle, describing a female humpback whale trapped in a web of crab-fishing lines. After being freed by a local environmental group, the whale circled around, gently nudging each diver as if thanking them. What made this tale truly remarkable was the breathtaking photo showing the whale extending its flipper, seemingly offering a handshake to its saviors.
Except it wasn't true. While both the photo and the story were based on real events, they had no connection to one another. An environmental group did indeed free a trapped whale off the coast of San Francisco—making it even more remarkable as it marked the first time a humpback had been successfully freed on the West Coast—and the whale did swim around, seemingly thanking each diver. However, the stunning picture that accompanied the email was taken almost five years later in the South Pacific. Marco Queral, a cameraman with over 17 years of whale photography experience, claimed that the incredible shot was simply a matter of luck. The photo showing a whale tangled in ropes was from a completely different incident.
3. Ukraine’s Escaped Attack Dolphins
In March 2013, both Business Insider and other online outlets reported the tale of three Ukrainian military attack dolphins that had apparently escaped their military exercises and swum into the Black Sea. This wasn’t the first occurrence. Soviet naval officer Yury Plyachenko revealed that the dolphins had probably just gone off to reunite with other dolphins before returning to base, as they had done previously. Imagine three war-worn dolphins lounging in bed, puffing on cigarettes and cuddling up with lipstick-sporting companions.
According to Business Insider, these dolphins were trained to ‘kill enemy divers with knives and pistols attached to their heads.’ The story originated from the Russian International News Agency (RIA) but was soon debunked by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, which clarified that they did not have a military dolphin program—unlike Russia, which once did. The hoax was reportedly orchestrated by a shady Russian Museum director, who then ‘leaked’ the story to the RIA. Remember to double-check your sources, kids.
2. Paris Hilton vs. Drunk Elephants
In 2007, the Guardian newspaper ran a story that had conservationists ecstatic about the involvement of an unlikely celebrity—Paris Hilton. According to the Guardian, which cited the supposedly reliable Associated Press, Hilton had used her fame to ‘highlight the problem of binge-drinking elephants in northeastern India.’ Wait, binge-drinking elephants? That’s exactly what they said.
The article went on to explain that elephants in northern India were consuming homemade rice beer, causing them to lose control and terrorize local communities. Paris was quoted as saying: 'The elephants get drunk all the time. It’s becoming really dangerous. We need to stop making alcohol available to them.' However, it turned out the quotes were fabricated, and the elephants’ alleged alcoholism was simply a myth. The story’s origins remain unclear, but the Associated Press quickly retracted the article, leaving the Guardian with some serious egg on their face.
1. The Dwarf-Eating Hippo
The tale is quite straightforward. Od, a circus performer, was in the middle of his trampoline act when he miscalculated a backflip and landed straight into the open mouth of a yawning hippo. The hippo, also part of the performance, swallowed Od in one gulp. The audience, initially impressed by the 'trick,' soon realized it wasn’t part of the act at all.
This story is thought to have first surfaced on Usenet in 1994. Since then, it has been reported in numerous outlets around the world, from the Manchester Evening News in England to the Sydney Daily Telegraph in Australia to the Pattaya Mail in Thailand.
