If news of the really bizarre kind is what you're after, this story from The Local certainly delivers. It reports that a collection of around 80 stuffed animals, some of them endangered species, has been seized by customs officials from a home in Düsseldorf, Germany. Among them ... this falcon sporting a Nazi SS hat:
Another bizarre find for Customs - 80 stuffed animals, including a bird wearing an SS hat - http://t.co/9Ntmtv4sKY pic.twitter.com/90rNdzaGZs
— The Local/Tom B. (@TheLocalGermany) May 21, 2014
Authorities uncovered the strange menagerie by following the trail of a suspicious package that arrived at the central customs office in Frankfurt from Indonesia last year. The parcel eventually led to the Düsseldorf home and office of a 51-year-old man, where officials were greeted by an outlandish inventory of bones, skulls and stuffed animal remains.
Aside from the hatted falcon, officials also confiscated whale vertebrae, bird skeletons and a rosary-wearing stuffed spoonbill. Some of the animals were also reportedly "holding dolls". The package that led officals to the scene was found to contain a monkey's arm and the skeleton of a tropical hornbill.
Investigations are underway, but there's no evidence of "commercial trade" in the case so far. Under German law, the illegal possession and trade in endangered species and plants carries a potential five-year prison sentence.
For more photos of the strange collection, check out this slideshow.
Top header image: Matt, Flickr
