Community Corner
9 MA Stories That Made You Say 'What?' In 2025
From giant animals to mysterious objects in the sky, it's been a year of weird news in the Bay State.
MASSACHUSETTS — From a massive lizard on the lam for weeks and a bat flying into a woman’s mouth, 2025 has been a year of weird news in the Bay State.
A massive lizard went missing for multiple weeks
A large water monitor lizard named Goose went missing in August. He escaped from his home in Webster, where he had been kept as a pet. Authorities said he was unlicensed because it is illegal to own this type of lizard in Massachusetts.
He was spotted multiple times before being captured in Douglas more than two weeks later.
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Goose has since moved to the RRS Oasis at Rainforest Reptile Shows in Beverly, a nonprofit animal sanctuary.
A bat flew into an MA woman's mouth, costing her $20,000
A bat flew into a Massachusetts woman's mouth while she was vacationing in Arizona, and the ensuing medical bills put her in a $20,000 hole, according to the website KFF Health News.
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Erica Kahn, now 33, was photographing the Arizona night sky when a bat "flew up to her and got tangled between her camera and her face," the story said.
Kahn had been laid off from her job and did not have health insurance at the time of the incident, but still sought medical treatment, including the rabies vaccine, KFF Health said, reporting the bills totaled $20,749.
A mysterious object was spotted in the MA skies
On Aug. 13, strange lights and shapes lit up the sky as the Vulcan Rocket was launched by United Launch Alliance in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on behalf of the U.S. Space Force.
This marked the first "national security"-related launch of materials by the powerful Vulcan rocket into orbit, officials said. You can get a glance at what some residents may have seen here.
A giant crab turned heads in this MA city
The “world’s largest inflatable crab” sat on top of The Sole Proprietor in Worcester.
It’s all part of an annual tradition: celebrating crab month in July. The restaurant at 118 Highland St. served up all things crustacean with a full menu of crab appetizers and entrees.
Worcester-based photographer Josh Wingell captured the view from above.
MA woman speaks out against rooster dumping
Small family farmer Madi Wood said rooster dumping has been a problem since she was a young girl on the farm.
That’s when people get what they think are baby chickens, and one grows up to be a rooster, which is illegal to own in most residential properties, largely because of the loud cackling they do. Then, rather than seek out a proper new home for their pet, they dump them at an area farm when no one is looking.
"Another day, another rooster dumped over our fence," Wood lamented. "Came right up to me, seems friendly. (But) dumping live animals is never okay. Please stop!"
Wood said that the better option for anyone who finds themselves in a fowl situation is to contact the MSPCA or another larger farm that might be able to take a surrender.
A rare, but smelly flower reached its peak bloom
The amorphophallus titanum, or corpse flower, only blooms once every 10 years for 24 hours, according to CBS Boston. The flower, named Eliza, could be seen at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Dover in July.
An MA student’s science project was accidentally recovered by police
A water research device created by young residents was accidentally recovered by police off the coast, according to a report from WCVB NewsCenter 5.
Students at Wellan Montessori at 80 Crescent Ave. created Pablo the Turtle, a GPS-equipped surface drifter in the shape of a shelled reptile that gathers data on water and climate.
Scituate Police encountered the device after it washed ashore on the eastern edge of Willis Island in the North River. After making minor repairs to Pablo, he was set adrift back into the water to continue gathering information.
An MA woman’s car caught on fire because of a rat
A resident’s car caught fire while driving on the Mass Pike due to an unexpected cause, according to a report from Boston 25 News.
After taking her vehicle to the mechanic, rat remains were found entangled in the serpentine belt. A nest built by the deceased rodent is believed to be what started the fire
A 400 lb bear was on the loose in this MA neighborhood
Police in a central Massachusetts town alerted residents to a massive bear roaming around a Townsend neighborhood. An approximately four-hundred-pound black bear was spotted multiple times in the area of Mason and Greenville Roads in Townsend in August.
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