LUBBOCK // A hairless opossum in Lubbock became a viral sensation after the local animal shelter asked the public for fashion advice for the critter. KLBK reported that a concerned citizen brought the opossum, which suffers from alopecia, to the South Plains Rehab Center. Then officials asked the public to help them clothe the critter—a call that was echoed by the Today Show and the New York Post. “She needs an agent,” the rehab center’s director said.
EDINBURG // A Catholic parishioner gave a priest in Edinburg a family heirloom that had been in its possession for 40 years: a human skull. KRGV discovered the strange handoff through an open records request in November. The Texas Department of Public Safety is looking into the incident, which it’s investigating as a “questionable death.”
COLLEGE STATION // Citing an uptick of rodent-related issues during 2020, Texas A&M University hosted a Rodent Academy in December. The confab brought together exterminators, public officials, and food safety experts, AgriLife Today reported. “As the Year of the Rat wraps up, there is no better time” for those with a gnawing interest to learn about rats, said Janet Hurley, an AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist in Dallas.
