I just couldn’t pass this one up. A usually quiet residential neighbourhood in Krakow, Poland, buzzed with activity and speculation for a couple of days last week, after a resident called the SPCA there to report a strange animal apparently trapped up a tree outside her house. No, she wasn’t going out to take a closer look: Might be something dangerous!
The Krakow Mystery Creature: A mystery no more…
At first, the reporting lady (who refused to give her name) thought it might be a bird. But it didn’t look like any bird she’d ever seen around those parts before. She alerted the neighbours, several of whom had already spotted the thing independently and were already knee-deep in speculation about it. They all watched – as the creature did nothing. Didn’t move a millimetre.
“People don’t open their windows because they’re afraid it’s going to enter their house,” a post on the Krakow Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (KTOZ) Facebook page later quoted the lady as saying. “He’s been sitting here for two days, and everyone is scared of him!”
Theories began to circulate around the little block: Was it some kind of giant caterpillar? Was it a pet iguana that had escaped from someone’s home? It’s still way too cold for reptiles to be outside in Poland these days, so they wondered if it hadn’t climbed a tree and gone into suspended animation, the way cold-blooded creatures do in winter.
Anonymous lady decides to act
Then, the lady at the centre of the story decided it was time to call the KTOZ, and have them settle the question once and for all – and, of course, provide any help the poor creature might need. She just couldn’t stand to think of – whatever it was – sitting out there cold and hungry any longer.
SPCA to the rescue
A KTOZ inspector who fielded the lady’s call at first thought it was just some nutty old bird (pun intended) calling out of boredom or a wildly out-of-control imagination. But, after a little speculation of his own, he decided to go out to the scene and have a look. The reporting lady was only too happy to provide detailed instructions about how to find the tree in question.
A revelation and a resolution…
The inspector (who also declined to give his name) easily found the tree and the mystery creature, and quickly made an identification. And he decided the sighting was noteworthy on at least one level. He immediately knocked on the lady’s door and reassured her that the ‘thing’ was neither dangerous nor in any danger, itself.
It was a stale croissante, jammed in the ‘v’ between two branches of the tree, apparently by another well-meaning resident who thought the birds might like a treat.
“We are looking more closely [and] the poor guy has no legs or head,” the inspector added, on Facebook. “We already know that we can’t help the creature, because it’s hard to help something that was previously baked…”
The last word…
The inspector didn’t close out his Facebook post without a serious reflection: “It’s always worth reporting if something concerns you,” he wrote. “It’s better to check and be pleasantly disappointed, and sometimes — unfortunately very rarely — laugh, than not react, which can sometimes lead to a tragedy.”
Good point.
Now, have another cup of coffee and a nice, fresh pastry. And don’t even try to stifle that giggle.
~ Maggie J.