Escaped Monkey Tops ‘07 Weird News in MS

Oliver Phillip Wellman A capuchin monkey that escaped from his cage twice this year and a minor league manager's meltdown (video) are among 2007's top Weird News stories in Mississippi.

by Associated Press

Published: Mon, December 31, 2007 - 10:00 am CST Last Updated: Mon, December 31, 2007 - 10:02 am CST

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Oliver, a white-faced capuchin monkey,
became an international celebrity this year by escaping his cage
twice at the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo.
Oliver apparently picked the lock on his pen July 31 and led
park staff on a chase through the park's trail system. He was
caught Aug. 6 at Tupelo Stone & Masonry after a motorist spotted
him.
The 9-year-old primate broke out again Aug. 13, this time with
his female cage mate, Baby, another capuchin. Baby was caught
quickly near the cage, but Oliver fled in the direction of the
Tupelo Country Club. He was caught a day later in a yard about four
miles from the park.
About six years ago, Oliver escaped and ran amok on the grounds
of Tupelo Country Club.
Oliver and Baby are now kept under surveillance with two
cameras. One camera monitors Oliver and the other his cage lock,
said Michelle Latham, compliance officer for the zoo.
The zoo, which sells "Oliver's Great Escape" T-shirts, has had
about 500 visitors in recent months saying they have come to
specifically see the primate, Latham said.
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Residents in the Mississippi River Delta enjoyed Kool-Aid
pickles. The sweet and sour treats are often sold in giant
mayonnaise jars near the cash register at convenience stores.
The Indianola-based Double Quick chain of convenience stores
began selling Kool-Aid pickles in its shops about three years ago
after company officials noticed them at independent grocers.
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Mississippi Braves manager Phillip Wellman became a sensation on
the video sharing site YouTube. Wellman's on-field meltdown June 1
earned him media attention and a three-game suspension from the
Double-A team (see external links for video).
During the Braves 7-6 loss at Chattanooga, Wellman came storming
out of the dugout when the home-plate umpire tossed pitcher Kelvin
Villa for apparently using a foreign substance.
Wellman threw his hat, then began shouting and framing the face
of the umpire with his hands about 6 inches apart. After that, he
piled dirt on home plate, stalked to third base, pulled up the bag
and walked toward second where he launched it into the outfield.
Then he dropped on his belly and pantomimed a military crawl to
the pitcher's mound, where he picked up the rosin bag. He pretended
it was a grenade, pulled an imaginary pin with his teeth and
launched it toward the home-plate umpire, hitting his left foot.
Wellman then stole second, picked up third and walked toward the
outfield gate with both bases. Before leaving the stadium, he
turned, blew kisses to the wildly cheering crowd, waved his fist in
salute and left.
The clip got over a million hits on YouTube.com and was aired on
news and sports networks.
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(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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