Discussion
ananova said:
Mystery of the exploding toads
Visitors to Hamburg parks are being warned to watch out for exploding toads.
Several thousand toads in the city's parks have so far mysteriously spontaneously exploded, sending entrails and toad body parts over a wide area.
Vets and animal welfare workers said the mystery has decimated the city's toad population as well as the unpleasant problem of leaving toad parts scattered around parks and open spaces.
Eyewitnesses say the toads swell up to three and a half times their normal size before suddenly exploding - sending entrails flying metres into the air.
Nature protection worker Werner Smolnik from Hamburg said over the last four days at least a thousand toads had died in this manner in scenes reminiscent of a science fiction film.
He said: "It is a complete mystery, we have a lot of ideas which we are following up, but at the moment we haven't the faintest idea if any of them are correct.
"It could be an unknown virus, or a fungus that has infected the water or a defence mechanism against aggressive crows which have appeared in the area recently.
"You see the toads crawling along the ground, swelling and getting bigger as they go until they are like little tennis balls, and then they suddenly explode."
Vet Otto Horst added: "I have never seen a thing like it."
"It's a real puzzle," agreed Janne Kloepper from the Hamburg Institute for Hygiene and the Environment, adding: "If this keeps up, there will be no toads left in Hamburg."
I wonder if they've heard about this on Above Top Secret? 
Pigeon said:
Does the baking powder with pigeons work or is it an urban myth? I hear they really go bang. 
Does the overdose of viagra with love machines work or is it an urban myth? I hear their todgers go bang.
No, I need some pepper and a pair of pliers to find mine, I pour pepper on it and then grab it with the pair of pliers when it sneezes
LilRallyDriver said:
OM-ruddy-G!!
I think I've heard something like this before... how scary! won't be visiting there any time soon!!
Euwww!!
Hamburg has some great parks. One of the best cities in europe i have visited for great parks and rivers close to the centre of town. Dont remember seeing any toads though!
Twincam16 said:
Could be a bit nasty if it crossed over to humans. Can you imagine the High Street on a Saturday afternoon?
Ah, but what about mixing it into the water supply at Liberal Democrat Central Office...
I think you'd need to be careful with that - so much hot air being released all at once could turn Britain into a wasteland
"Based on the wounds, Mutschmann said, it appears that a bird pecks into the toad with its beak between the amphibian's chest and abdominal cavity, and the toad puffs itself up as a natural defense mechanism.
"But, because the liver is missing and there's a hole in the toad's body, the blood vessels and lungs burst and the other organs ooze out, he said."
Nasty way to go!
"But, because the liver is missing and there's a hole in the toad's body, the blood vessels and lungs burst and the other organs ooze out, he said."
Nasty way to go!
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