Have you seen this animal?
State Police at Blooming Grove sent out an official press release this week reporting a unicorn type animal was seen trotting down Interstate 84.
According to the press release, which included a grainy picture of an animal, the creature was seen around 5:30 p.m. between mile markers 41 and 45 in Milford Township.
“A rare form of an animal that resembles a horse with a large pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead and sometimes seen with a goat’s beard and cloven hooves, was seen trotting down the westbound lane of Interstate 84,” the police report said
Okapia
The animal in the report was presumed to be an okapis, which is a horse like animal found in Africa with a reddish brown body and black and white stripes on its legs.
“The animal had large talons and made a high pitch squealing noise. The animal was last seen running through a wooded area off the shoulder of the interstate,” the police report said.
Police asked that anyone with similar sightings or with questions call the state police at Blooming Grove.
It is the kind of story that makes journalists salivate, if only it were true.
The press release was a hoax. “It was a prank played by the midnight guys,” an embarrassed state trooper who had fielded a lot of media calls about it said.
A similar joke press release printed on an official state police form was sent around more than a year ago with a similar grainy photo and a different description of a bizarre animal.
