Muskrats have nothing on wombat love.
The 'Wombat Devine' display revealed a whole lot more than viewers bargained for when it appeared in Myer's Department store window for the holidays.
The windows included various animals showing their Christmas cheer, including a wombat and a platypus locked in what appeared to be an intimate embrace, reported the Herald Sun.
Many window-watchers were shocked by the display, not realizing that what some considered a lewd and lascivious scene was nothing more than a technical malfunction.
The peep show caused quite a bit of talk, with upset viewers calling morning radio shows expressing their distaste for the animal love affair.
"I don't know what to think," said one mother of four.
"They look like they are... involved."
Others who witnessed the Christmas error remained non-plussed.
"It's for kids and they don't think like we (adults) do so I'm sure they wouldn't even notice it," said one woman with her grandchildren.
The problem was quickly addressed, and Myers' window technicians were called in to adjust the display. The store said that the platypus was supposed to be rocking the wombat to wake him up, but the mechanism that attached the hand to the wombat was loosened and the aforementioned scene reared its head instead.
Machete-wielding Monk Slices and Dices His Most Precious Part
A recent meditation produced some unwanted results for one Buddhist monk in Thailand.
After accidentally incurring an erection while meditating, said monk took matters into his own hands, Reuters reported.
The monk used a machete to remove his own penis, then declined to have it reattached when he was taken for medical attention.
He refused the reattachment because he said he had renounced all earthly cares.
The 35-year-old man allowed the doctor to treat his wound and give him stitches only.
Does This Count as a DUI?
A New Mexico resident discovered an unadvertised option in a used car he recently purchased: a supply of marijuana.
The owner found the drugs and contacted police, who recovered 20 bricks — 22 pounds — of marijuana.
The weed, valued at $28,000, was stored under the back seat, police said.
The man told authorities he bought the vehicle in Hobbs. Lea County Drug Task Force Cmdr. Allyn Pennington said an investigation was under way and declined to speculate about why the drugs may have been inside the vehicle.
Feces Make Fantastic Gift Ideas
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (AP) — There's the Panda Express fast-food chain. Jing Jing, a mascot for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The forthcoming animated movie, "Kung Fu Panda." Even a Mexican rock band named after the cuddly bear.
Not to be outdone, Thailand has come up with another, seemingly unlikely way to capitalize on this globally loved, bamboo-munching animal: panda poop.
When keepers of the country's panda couple — Chuang Chuang and Lin Hui — got tired of disposing the 55 pounds of feces daily produced by the duo, Prasertsak Buntragulpoontawee came up with the idea of turning it all into notebooks, fans, bookmarks and key chains.
"At first the Chinese were very skeptical," says the head of Chiang Mai Zoo's panda unit, referring to the proprietary attitude China takes toward its iconic animal.
But the multicolored paper products have proved hot selling-items at the zoo, with the $8,200 earned to date helping balance the accounts of panda keeping.
The Thai government pays $250,000 a year to China's Wulong Panda Research Institute to rent the pandas, who, depending on the weather, reside in either a $1 million air-conditioned cage or an extensive, fan-cooled outdoor enclosure ringed by a mini-replica of China's Great Wall.
Panda poop paper production involves a daylong process of cleaning the feces, boiling it in a soda solution, bleaching it with chlorine and drying it under the sun. Experimentation continues on how to reduce the chemicals now used.
"We tried selling it on markets outside but so far with not so much success," Prasertsak says. "But in the zoo, when people see real pandas and then their product, they're excited and buy."
No Old Cat Lady Will Be Able to Top This...
HIGH SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Cats can be found everywhere on Steve and Pennie Lefkowitz's property: perched on barrels, under bushes, hiding in doghouses and rubbing against the backyard fence.
The couple have turned their wooded property just off U.S. 441 into the Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary. It's home to about 300 felines.
Pennie Lefkowitz, an animal control officer, began taking in foster cats about three years ago after she became concerned about the number of cats being euthanized in Alachua County.
"It was rather innocent to begin with," Steve Lefkowitz told The Gainesville Sun. "We took in foster cats, and adopted some more cats. Now, we have people dropping off their unwanted cats in our driveway."
He said while many of their cats are poor candidates for adoption because of behavior problems or health issues, other felines at the sanctuary would make great pets. The couple are trying to increase adoptions through Web sites such as petfinder.com.
County Zoning Administrator Benny Beckham said the Lefkowitzes have been cited for a code violation for having more than 150 cats in a rescue facility, but the couple are applying for a special exception.
Compiled by FOXNews.com's Hannah Sentenac.
Got a good "Out There" story in your hometown? We would like to know about it. Send an e-mail with a Web link (we need to authenticate these things) to outthere@foxnews.com.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox