Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 248
September 26, 2019
Tanuki Reign of Terror on a Small UK Town
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
It all began with a bloodcurdling scream at 4am. At least that’s how two residents of Clarborough, a small village in Nottinghamshire, UK, describe their first encounter with a tanuki (a.k.a. raccoon dog).
Mandy Marsh, 53, and her husband Dale, 54, awoke to the terrifying sound. Dale reacted quickly, running outside to see what the commotion was. He returned moments later exclaiming, “You are going to have to come and see this. There is something in the field attacking the pony, and I have absolutely no idea what it is.”
Fugitive Racoon Dogs Wreak Havoc
Mandy rushed out after her husband to find the impish invader in the backyard embroiled in a tense standoff with the couple’s pony and pet goat.
The tanuki had attempted to attack and kill the goat before the pony intervened. Now, the pony stood in the path of a vicious onslaught from the raccoon dog.
Mandy and Dale used boards and other pieces of wood to fend off the animal. But it took more than two hours to get the tenacious tanuki to leave. Just moments later, it reappeared cornering a nearby pedestrian walking a dog.
Law Enforcement Intervenes
Police were called in to identify and capture the wayward animal. They soon learned two tanuki were on the loose, a male and female, who escaped by digging out of a nearby enclosure located on Big Lane.
Indigenous to East Asia, raccoon dogs may resemble North American raccoons, but they’re actually members of the Canidae family, which includes foxes and dogs. They can grow to the size of a medium canine, and, according to the Marshes, display the aggression of feral members of the species.
After four days of searching, police recaptured the animals. But while local media described a harrowing situation that left Clarborough residents on edge, were the tanuki on the lamb really that dangerous?
The Tanuki of Japanese Mythos
In Japan, tanuki are known for their trickster ways and adept ability to imitate humans. Unlike foxes, who come with an aura of awe and danger, tanuki act as the ribald protagonists of countless tales.
Mischief-makers, pranksters, and shape-shifters, they are known for one mythic feature, their giant testicles. Characterized by their joviality, absentmindedness, and gullibility, they feature prominently in children’s songs and stories.
A favorite for lawn art kitsch, potbellied tanuki statues prove a must in front of Japanese restaurants and bars, big balls and all. Why? Their presence is thought to bring good luck and wealth to businesses.
Clearly, the tanuki of Japanese lore remain a far cry from the “absolutely mad” creatures described by British newspapers covering the Clarborough situation. So, what gives?
Putting the Tanuki Threat in Perspective
Attempting to hunt and kill the goat at the Marsh’s farm would have proven an ambitious feat for any tanuki in the wild. In nature, these carnivorous creatures rely on birds, fish, insects, and small animals as their main food sources. They also munch on fruits, nuts, and berries when available to supplement their diet.
Although they can bite and scratch, tanuki prove too small to pose a serious threat to human beings—aside from the risk of rabies. Of course, this doesn’t rule out aggressive displays like the one witnessed by the Marshes. Nocturnal creatures, they vocalize by growling and making cat-like sounds, and they arch their backs when threatened.
What’s more, taking these animals out of their natural surroundings can lead to erratic behavior. According to Stephanie Jayson, senior exotics and wildlife trade office from the RSPCA, in a domesticated environment these wild animals “often become aggressive and unmanageable.”
The owner of the raccoon dogs that terrorized Clarborough did not comment after their recapture and return to his property. But in a previous statement, he said, “They have escaped and that is my mistake. But it’s important people don’t think these animals are especially dangerous.” He also blamed any perceived bad behavior on anxiety the animals experienced during their escape.
The Real Threat from the Tanuki
While the UK recovers from its recent brush with raccoon dogs, other parts of Europe face a different kind of threat from these creatures. From Sweden to France, tanuki populations represent an invasive species with the ability to seriously upset the biodiversity of local ecosystems.
In Sweden, the accidental introduction of tanuki has led to an ecological disaster since they prey on endangered ground-nesting birds and amphibians. The fact that tanuki reproduce more rapidly than any other canine species, except the arctic fox, has further exacerbated the issue. As a result, Sweden has undertaken steps to eradicate these nuisance animals.
Per-Arne Ahlen, leader of this initiative, spoke about the real tanuki threat to the UK in 2016: “Both from Ireland and the UK, I’ve seen several cases where people have lost their pets, and I’m quite sure that if you have not already, I think that you will have your first feral emerging population by reproduction of escaped pets.” The risk of the tanuki to local species remains the deeper threat, one that the British news media has largely overlooked.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
September 25, 2019
The Comic Book Made From the Writer’s Ashes
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Whether they’re mantlepiece urns, photos, or even wreaths made from human hair, families often seek mementos to remind themselves of lost loved ones. For comic book writer and editor Mark Gruenwald, his wife could think of no better final resting place for her husband than in the pages of the comics he wrote.
Mark Gruenwald was hired by Marvel Comics in 1978 and stayed there until his death. During his tenure, he worked on a variety of books before becoming their executive editor and keeper of continuity for much of the 1980s. He wrote books, edited other people’s work, and even filled in as a penciler at times.
CC Alex Lozupone via Wikimedia
As a keeper of continuity and a leader of creative teams, Gruenwald had a knack for remembering every bit of minutia about Marvel Comics. The publisher even opened up a challenge for readers to stump Gruenwald, but had to discontinue it when it became clear nobody could beat him.
While Gruenwald knew all the details of the established teams and characters of Marvel, he is most recognized for his work on a new team of heroes known as the Squadron Supreme. The Squadron’s characters had been around, but Gruenwald decided to focus on a new set of the heroes in an alternate reality. These heroes united to build a utopia on their planet—a plan that would eventually go awry. The Squadron Supreme received a 12-issue mini-series and is considered a precursor to highly popular deconstructionist superhero parables like Watchmen, Kingdom Come, and The Boys. These books take a look at the inner workings of superheroes in “real world” settings where corruption and consequences are the focus.
Sadly, Gruenwald died of heart failure in 1996. A well-known practical joker, many believed the news of his death was a prank—he had been cartwheeling in the writers’ room just a month before. Gruenwald had long told his wife he wanted his ashes to be a part of his work. When Squadron Supreme was collected into a trade paperback, his ashes were mixed into the ink.
The Comic Book Made From The Writer’s Ashes
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Whether they’re mantlepiece urns, photos, or even wreaths made from human hair, families often seek mementos to remind themselves of lost loved ones. For comic book writer and editor Mark Gruenwald, his wife could think of no better final resting place for her husband than in the pages of the comics he wrote.
Mark Gruenwald was hired by Marvel Comics in 1978 and stayed there until his death. During his tenure, he worked on a variety of books before becoming their executive editor and keeper of continuity for much of the 1980s. He wrote books, edited other people’s work, and even filled in as a penciler at times.
CC Alex Lozupone via Wikimedia
As a keeper of continuity and a leader of creative teams, Gruenwald had a knack for remembering every bit of minutia about Marvel Comics. The publisher even opened up a challenge for readers to stump Gruenwald, but had to discontinue it when it became clear nobody could beat him.
While Gruenwald knew all the details of the established teams and characters of Marvel, he is most recognized for his work on a new team of heroes known as the Squadron Supreme. The Squadron’s characters had been around, but Gruenwald decided to focus on a new set of the heroes in an alternate reality. These heroes united to build a utopia on their planet—a plan that would eventually go awry. The Squadron Supreme received a 12-issue mini-series and is considered a precursor to highly popular deconstructionist superhero parables like Watchmen, Kingdom Come, and The Boys. These books take a look at the inner workings of superheroes in “real world” settings where corruption and consequences are the focus.
Sadly, Gruenwald died of heart failure in 1996. A well-known practical joker, many believed the news of his death was a prank—he had been cartwheeling in the writers’ room just a month before. Gruenwald had long told his wife he wanted his ashes to be a part of his work. When Squadron Supreme was collected into a trade paperback, his ashes were mixed into the ink.
The Once (And Future?) Home of Mammoths
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Humans were building the Egyptian pyramids when the last small population of mammoths died. Most of them had perished thousands of years before that, and in their heyday, the hairy creatures roamed vast expanses of the colder regions of the earth. Unlike their elephant cousins of today, their fur and components of their blood kept them warm in harsh winters.
The world was different then. If mammoths were alive now, most of their habitat would be gone, lost to human development and climate change. However, there is one place that would readily accept any new mammoths, should they be risen from the dead: Pleistocene Park.
Aerial view of Pleistocene Park || Image courtesy of pleistocenepark.ru
In the late 1980s, the staff of the Northeast Science Station in Chersky, Siberia started a project in the hopes of recreating the “mammoth steppe” ecosystem that was lost at the end of the last ice age, known as the Pleistocene Epoch. They decided to reintroduce large, hardy animals to recreate what was lost. The team has brought reindeer, cattle, moose, oxen, sheep, yaks, a Russian breed of horse, and bison to the park.
Mammoths would be welcome too, if and when biologists resurrect them. Bringing back extinct species, or “de-extinction,” would be extremely difficult, and not everyone even agrees that it’s a good idea. Still, there are multiple initiatives to “clone” mammoths, using various techniques. While not exactly like the process used in Jurassic Park, these projects use a similar approach: researchers acquire preserved DNA and use it, along with the DNA of modern species, to create an embryo of a long-gone species.
While Pleistocene Park was named after the Michael Crichton book Jurassic Park, the main goal of the project is not to resurrect ice-age animals and make a theme park for tourists. Instead, the aim is to recreate the “mammoth steppe” ecosystem to help the global environment.
As the arctic warms, the soil in Siberia thaws, awakening microbes. Those microbes turn carbon in the earth into methane and carbon dioxide—both of which are extremely bad for the environment. According to Nikita Zimov, one of the leaders of the Pleistocene Park project, herds of heavy animals help trample the snow, which compacts it and slows its thawing.
Image courtesy of pleistocenepark.ru
Zimov says that mammoths aren’t necessary—modern animals work just as well for this project. However, bringing back the ancient icon would certainly bring attention, and possibly funding, to Pleistocene Park. How much would you pay for a ticket to see, live and in the flesh, the behemoths of the ice age?
By Kristin Hugo, contributor for Ripleys.com
September 24, 2019
Did Pocahontas and John Smith Share Romance? – Ripley’s Believe It or Notcast Episode 16
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
While gilded retellings of the settlement of Jamestown may include a star-crossed romance between John Smith and the Native American princess, Pocahontas, history has another tale to tell.
This week on the Notcast, we discuss the true nature of the pair’s relationship. Were they lovers or even friends? And did Pocahontas really put her life on the line to save the English explorer?
For more weird news and strange stories, visit our homepage, and be sure to rate and share this episode of the Notcast!
Source: Did Pocahontas and John Smith Share Romance? – Ripley’s Believe It or Notcast Episode 16
Did Pocahontas And John Smith Share Romance? – Ripley’s Believe It or Notcast Episode 16
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
While gilded retellings of the settlement of Jamestown may include a star-crossed romance between John Smith and the Native American princess, Pocahontas, how history has another tale to tell.
This week on the Notcast, we discuss the true nature of the pair’s relationship. Were they lovers or even friends? And did Pocahontas really put her life on the line to save the English explorer?
For more weird news and strange stories, visit our homepage, and be sure to rate and share this episode of the Notcast!
Source: Did Pocahontas And John Smith Share Romance? – Ripley’s Believe It or Notcast Episode 16
September 23, 2019
An Eerie Glimpse Inside The Doors Of A New Jersey Paranormal Bookstore
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Nestled in one of the most happening hipster districts in New Jersey—amidst chic restaurants and indie concert venues—lies a handsome storefront. The auspicious gilded lettering above its sleek black doorframe reads Paranormal Books & Curiosities. Towering bookshelves of dark, polished wood wainscot the walls, recreating the atmosphere of a classical study or Victorian parlor. Broken up by lofty Greco-Roman busts and stony, brooding grotesques, the shop paints a picture of the perfect juxtaposition: elevated wisdom and debased wickedness within mankind.
Curated by the conversant-in-all-things-creepy shop-owner, Kathy Kelly, she opened her doors to the paranormal on Friday the 13th, June 2008. As a shopkeeper, historian, paranormal tour guide, and author of Asbury Park’s Ghost & Legends, Kathy has always had a passion for the paranormal.
“This is what I do. I opened the shop because this is the overflow of my life.”
The bookshop features 2,500 titles in sections pertaining to the afterlife, astrology, demonology, ufology, haunted history, paranormal investigations, parapsychology, psychic phenomena, Wicca, witchcraft, and all that is wonderfully weird. Candles, tarot cards, and other transmundane trinkets can also line the mantles of this eerie establishment.
So, what specters lay hidden in this vogue seashore community?
In the shadowy back quarters of the store hangs a somber shroud, beyond which lies the barrier separating this world from the otherworldly, and all the marvelous things it contains. A timeline outlining five thousand years of paranormalists—those who study the paranormal—and paranormal studies cover the staircase walls as you ascend to The Paranormal Museum.
“This is not something that just began with TV shows in the nineties,” Kathy tells us, “the study of the paranormal has been the study of human nature since time immemorial.”
At the entryway of the second-floor museum, patrons are treated to a cache of all that is mysterious and mystical: haunted historical items and relics, pictures purported to capture ghostly entities, and artifacts from all around the world that in some way evoke phenomena that, to date, is unexplainable by the individual or society.
CC Kathy Kelly, proprietor of Paranormal Books & Curiosities and The Paranormal Museum
The Ritual Room
In operation since the museum’s launch in 2009, one highlight from the constantly changing and rotating exhibits would undoubtedly be the Ritual Room.
“All of the things here have been used in some kind of occult or ceremonial ritual. We keep this separate because some people have physical and emotional reactions to it,” says Kathy.
On display is a Voodoo altar that was donated by a woman who fell ill after converting to voodooism, which she attributed to the shrine.
“It’s likely psychosomatic,” Kathy tells us, “but it’s a perfect example of how beautiful a Voodoo altar can be… even if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Collectively one of the best pieces of her museum, according to Kathy, are the implements associated with the venerable African-Caribbean religion of Palo Mayombe. Next to a necklace made of goat teeth stands an iron cauldron. “This was donated to me by a police officer who absolutely believed that it had activity associated with it. He believes a spirit is attached to it,” Kathy recalls.
Filled with bones, sticks, and dirt, the cauldron was evidence in a case involving a drug lord who created this curio in effort to enslave a spirit to perform his bidding. To complete this dark ritual, he committed an act of sacrilege anathema to the benevolent spirit of Palo Mayombe.
Kathy explains, “In order for this [ritual] to be activated, a grave had to be desecrated. A portion of a body—probably a finger or hand—had to be exhumed and burned to ash with a blood sacrifice committed over it—likely a chicken or lamb. That would call the spirit.”
Regardless of if one subscribes to these beliefs, so far as practitioners of Palo Mayombe are concerned, the threat was all too real. The criminal in question used the cauldron as the seat of his power to manipulate others to do his bidding: “If you’re a true believer in Palo and you believe in the power of the cauldron, then you believe the spirit must do my bidding because I am the controller of the spirit. If I tell you to do something, you’re going to do it, because you know I have a spirit who will do to you whatever I choose for it to do. If you have this happening in your community, you have people who believe in it. And people who believe this can be dangerous. Whether it is true or not, it doesn’t matter: someone believes it.”
Nearby, an ominous-looking box houses a human skull, that Kathy refers to as Michael, engraved with the word “DEVIL” on its forehead.
“At one point, some idiot decided they would use his skull in a satanic ritual that was not legitimate,” Kathy confirms.
Michael has since been acquired by Kathy and repurposed as an educational tool. “There are real Satanists in the world. There are real magicians. They are people who devoutly believe this stuff. And then there are idiots who have no respect for the ceremony of anything… or the remains of others.”
Also included in the Ritual Room are all of the accouterments necessary for making an authentic voodoo zombie, coup padre, and a selection from Kathy’s three-hundred-plus ouija board collection.
“There’s only one way to get rid of a cursed object. You can’t burn it. You can’t break it. You can’t bury it. You can’t throw it out. The only way to get rid of it is to give it to someone else, which makes you complicit in cursing someone.”
Haunted Objects
“Sometimes things just get left for me at my doorstep that people get uncomfortable with.” When being given objects presumed to be cursed or haunted, Kathy asks, “Why give it to me? If you’re afraid of it, why not burn it or break it?” She explains, “If they say, ‘I’m afraid that would set it free,’ then I know there’s probably something to their story. It might not be what they believe, but if they’re afraid of it and they’re afraid of releasing it by destroying it, I think there’s probably some kind of phenomena associated with it.”
One of Kathy’s gifted items is a funerary casket kneeler from the early 1900s. The original owner became overburdened by its accompaniments. As she told Kathy, “There’s a guy that walks and kneels down here. This is the only one he comes to. I don’t know who he is, but every night between 2:30 and 3:30 I get woken up. I’m not afraid of him, but he keeps me up.”
CC Kathy Kelly, proprietor of Paranormal Books & Curiosities and The Paranormal Museum
Since receiving the antique, Kathy has experienced unusual activity on her shop’s security system.
“Every night between 2:30 and 3:30, I get an update saying there’s movement here. There’s never anything on the camera, but it’s always the same time.”
Kathy then brings us to an incredibly moody painting—an anguished portrait of a gaunt, ghastly, nameless woman composed in sunless shades of bluish-grays. Just looking at the artwork makes us feel like we’ve been submerged in ice.
“This is something that came to me about 13 years ago; I’ve only recently put it on display. This was painted in 1968. The artist believed that his subject was possessed and he felt the best way to remove the possession was by painting her. I will tell you, there is something strange about this picture. As you walk, she follows you.”
We can’t help but agree with her; the piece is deeply unsettling. Kathy continues, “I don’t know whether or not the artist believed it to be successful. I do know that it went from hand-to-hand-to-hand because nobody wanted to keep it.”
After receiving the work, it sat in Kathy’s basement for years of solitude out of fear of what dangers the piece may bring to the unsuspecting public.
“If I think something is blatantly a fabrication, I want to say, ‘this is a fabrication.’ But then again, if something makes me uncomfortable, I do want to be careful of other people. I went back and forth with this until this past year, and I thought, ‘it’s cowardly not to put it out.’ She only went up two months ago.”
Across the room: “This is my most favorite haunted object,” Kathy says, presenting an opulent 160-year-old flower-print cushioned lounge. With an undulating wooden frame, the chair encompasses strong hints of French Rococo and British Victorian furniture.
“This is the Singing Couch. The reason why: we have evidence; you can hear it.”
CC Kathy Kelly, proprietor of Paranormal Books & Curiosities and The Paranormal Museum
The museum had received this two years prior from the family of Thomas Day, a freeman of color and master carpenter and craftsman in the Antebellum South who is credited with creating American Heritage style furniture.
“He claimed when he would lay on this he would hear what sounded like a woman singing gospel tunes.” He described these tunes as sounding like field-sang spiritual hymns, only no one else was present. During an interview by a third-party ghost investigation team, something was heard in addition to the recording of Kathy’s voice: a woman, singing in the background. “A tonal hum with some vibrato. I love this piece because of its real history. Someone other than me spontaneously caught exactly what people report.”
Reporting with Ripleys.com, Kris Levin listened to the audio clip—available to all patrons who visit the museum—and, sure enough, he heard the devious dirge exactly as Kathy described.
Kathy let slip a secret: there is a private research and lending library in the museum for paranormal investigators to request access to. This secret stash plays host to various occult readings from the annals of history with nearly 150 arcane volumes of forgotten lore lining the museum shelves.
Rescued from an inexplicable house fire that destroyed the majority of the private collection of an occult professor, these estate findings include texts and tomes from the American arm of the Society for Psychical Research—from which the famed London branch dates to 1882—which weighs paranormal and parapsychological research as a legitimate esoteric study.
Also available are shuddersome spellbooks, 18th-century folklore on vampires and werewolves, and early enigmatic editions of renowned folklorist Montague Summers.
CC Kathy Kelly, proprietor of Paranormal Books & Curiosities and The Paranormal Museum
Paranormal Books & Curiosities also serves as a home base for private psychic readings, monthly séances, lantern-led ghost tours, and festivals dedicated to fables, folklore, and mythology, including the Jersey Devil and Krampus. How’s that for some paranormal activity?
Kathy feels that the success story surrounding her paranormal endeavors has less to do with its odd and ominous aura and more about its place as part of the resurgence of Asbury Park, the city.
“Asbury Park was a forgotten place when we got here. It afforded us the opportunity to dive into subject matters and do things we might not have been able to do in other communities. It’s a rare thing for a shop like Paranormal to be the oldest retailer in a central business district. It’s a testament to the staying power of our subject matter and people’s interest in it.
“Our ability is to not change what we do or change what we are interested in, but change how we communicate with people about it. Somebody referred to us as the ‘world-famous’ Paranormal today and, when we think about it, it’s true. We’ve had people from nine different countries visit us in the last fifteen days alone!”
Identifying as both a skeptic and believer, she tells us, “I’ve had enough experiences that it keeps me looking.”
Kathy elaborates, “The funny thing with the paranormal is that we say a ‘rational’ explanation, but what we really mean is a ‘common’ explanation. Because the paranormal, by definition, is not necessarily irrational. It just is not something we know. As we learn, it pushes the boundaries of what is considered to be paranormal further back.”
Paranormal Books & Curiosities is an indelible and quirky facet of the resurrection, revitalization, and renaissance of the “Jewel of the Jersey Shore,” Asbury Park. With its predilection for the preternatural, this shoreside hotspot is a must-see experience for enthusiasts of all-things eerie. Believe It or Not!
By Kris Levin, contributor for Ripleys.com
Kris Levin is a traveling storyteller, professional wrestling referee, and everybody’s favorite nephew. He can be seen internationally on IMPACT Wrestling as their most junior official, #KidRef, and on social media at @RefKrisLevin .
Source: An Eerie Glimpse Inside The Doors Of A New Jersey Paranormal Bookstore
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