The Poojitive, humpback whales and more: The NT News’ weirdest stories this year

THE NT News is famous for its weird, wacky and wonderful stories — and in 2020 there were plenty. Here are some of this year’s WEIRDEST STORIES

THE NT News is famous for its weird, wacky and wonderful stories — and in 2020 there were plenty.

Here are some of this year’s strangest stories.

Dying for a fart

A green sea turtle received lifesaving treatment at the Ark Aid Animal Hospital for a peculiar problem – she can’t fart, which prevents her from diving underwater. Vet Jamaya Monteiro-Pereira said the 50kg turtle, affectionately named Rhea, wasn’t able to submerge because she’s been full of gas that can’t pass through her digestive system.

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Go fetch

In January we met adorable baby buffalo Bunjee who’s convinced he’s a dog and loves playing fetch. The boisterous six-month-old calf quickly became apart of the Stanton family after arriving at their Humpty Doo property last year and befriending the three household dogs.

Bungee the buffalo who thinks he's a dog. Humpty Doo, January 9, 2020. Picture By Che Chorley.

Owner Erica Stanton said over time Bunjee eventually became convinced he was a part of the canine pack, and enjoys running around with the other dogs in the backyard and fetching balls.

Tough love for horny spider

An eight-legged Romeo ended up “carking it with a boner” during a spider courtship gone wrong. Spider photographer Caitlin Henderson said she was in Kakadu when she found a couple of fringed jumping spiders. She said the male ended up being killed by the female during a disastrous attempt to mate in which he mounted her the wrong way round. “I’ve never seen a male be so incompetent during mating,” she said.

What a stickhead

An absolute crochead was asking for trouble when he slapped the water with a stick and turned his back to the water to take selfies at the notorious Cahills Crossing in Kakadu National Park.

A bloke put his life at risk at Cahills Crossing last Friday when he went to grab the attention of crocodiles by slapping the water. Picture: Campbell Brodie

Thankfully, he lived to tell the tale but not without causing fishos and tourists some heart-stopping moments. Witness Campbell Brodie said the tourist showed no fear or concern for his safety. What a stickhead.

An Esky saved our lives

A trusty EvaKool Esky was all Veronica and Geoff Warham were left with when their boat suddenly sunk in 30m deep water off shore of Dundee. The couple, who are seasoned anglers, clung to their Esky for two-and-a-half hours waiting for help.

Geoff and Veronica Warham hung on to the Esky pictured, for about two and a half hours after their boat sunk suddenly off shore of Dundee Beach. Picture: Supplied

They stopped in a popular spot for a quick dip, about 4 nautical miles from Point Blaze, when their boat started to take in water. Within a minute the boat had sunk, which they believe was due to a cracked hull.

Where’s my hard-drinking and smoking best mate?

In July Territorian Trevor “Pud” Bilston was on the lookout for his smoking boozehound of a pet cockatoo Dundee, who went missing at Bynoe Harbour. Pud said of his beloved bird that he loves a smoke, can down a can of beer and has a penchant for ripping the pegs off clothes lines while squawking. it’s unknown if Pud and Dundee were reunited, but it is our dearest wish they were.

Pissed as a parrot

Speaking of boozing birds, a Palmerston cockatoo developed a bizarre obsession with wine. Andrew Griffiths told the NT News his pet cockatoo Opie had fallen in love with wine and would often get caught stealing a couple of swigs when he had guests over for drinks.

Palmerston resident Andrew Griffith says his boozie bird 'Opie' the cockatoo is obsessed with drinking wine. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford.

Mr Griffiths said his pet was also convinced he was a kangaroo, having watched one too many Skippy the Bush Kangaroo episodes.

Gerry Wood spots another UFO

Former politician and self-confessed UFO aficionado Gerry Wood was at Bulgul with his wife and her three sisters when they noticed lights of what they believed to be was a UFO. Mr Wood said it was too remote to be a drone, plane or military activity, and gave it a resounding 10 Gerrys on the Gerrymeter – a UFO sighting credibility scale introduced by the NT News in 2010. The NT News gave the sighting a 4.5 because no one was beamed up into the sky.

Holy crocamole

Stampy the salty stole our hearts after photos of her dressed as a banana and a taco were posted on social media.

Holy croc-amole it's a taco croc. Howard Springs reptile wrangler Chris Peberdy says his croc Stampy likes to dress up on special occasions, including in a taco and banana costume. Picture: Che Chorley

Darwin reptile wrangler Chris Peberdy said his 1.5m pet croc has always had a “unique” personality and she had grown fond of dressing up on the odd occasion.

Whale, whale … would you look at that?

In September three humpback whales were spotted in the East Alligator River. Whales are occasionally seen in Top End waters during their migration up north from Antarctica. Two of the marine giants left but one, appropriately named Humpy, lingered in the croc-infested waters before leaving. In November another whale was spotted in the river in a declining condition but it was unknown if it was the beloved Humpy.

Karen from Brighton runs laps in Howard Springs

Coronavirus pandemic social media sensation Karen from Brighton fled her leafy Melbourne suburb for the Northern Territory’s Howard Springs quarantine facility in October. Karen from Brighton, whose real name is Jodi Grollo, shot to infamy amid Victoria’s second round of coronavirus lockdown after complaining about having to walk the same streets of her suburb. Under the rules at Howard Springs, Ms Grollo would be allowed, in two 20 minute intervals a day to leave her room for a walk. She would have done all of Howard Springs within a day.

Why I snapped over a spicy chicken wing snack

Kassandra Corrie, 30, was slapped with a criminal conviction in October after throwing a glass at someone’s head following a fight that started over “the forced feeding of spicy chicken wings”.

A spicy chicken has contributed to a fight in a licensed venue in Palmerston. Picture: Che Chorley

The court heard Corrie was drinking at a venue in Palmerston in late August last year when a “physical altercation” broke out between her and the eventual victim. The prosecutor cited the importance of the rights of patrons to go to a pub and eat “spicy or not spicy chicken wings free of inhibition” and “free of being assaulted”. Corrie was sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour bond.

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The Poojative

Police were on the hunt in November for a bearded hipster who defecated nine nights in a row in the front yard of an Alice Springs home. The Underdown Street home’s resident Kirsten, who preferred not to use her last name, captured the “rogue pooer” on CCTV and said one morning she woke to discover “it was kind of smeared in blobs, almost like he got between the tiles and mashed it in”. Police have yet to find the poojative.

Not the leftovers!

Days after Christmas a homeowner in Alice Springs was surprised to find an intruder enjoying a meal of roast lamb at the kitchen table. Southern Watch Commander Adrian Kidney police were called to two separate break-ins that night, one with an intruder that gained entry into a home in Gillen. “They were interrupted by the owner who came out and found the offender in the kitchen eating roast lamb,” Crd Kidney said. The offender managed to escape the scene with grease on his hands.

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