Sid is a shoplifter (商店扒手), and he always steals the same thing from the same shop in Cornwall. But Sid is no ordinary thief. He is a seagull (海鸥), who has a liking for a particular brand of crisps (油炸马铃薯片). The bird carried out his first crime a few months ago in the local shop. He walked in through the door and left with the crisps before employees could react. Since then he has become a regular, and visits the shop almost daily.

Shop assistant Jane Draper told us that she didn’t believe the seagull had been taking the crisps until she saw it with her own eyes. The seagull waits until there are no customers in the shop and the door is open. When Jane is out of sight behind the shelf the seagull walks in and steals from the shop. He always takes the same make of crisps from the shelf, goes back outside and rips the packet (小袋) open. Other birds often join him to share in the crisps.

A spokesperson from the local wildlife park said that he had never heard of birds shoplifting before. He suggested that perhaps the seagull had first tried the crisps one day in the street. When he saw the packet in the shop, the seagull must have taken advantage of the situation to go inside and steal it.

Sid was given his name by the people in the area. Some of the locals even go into the shop to pay for the crisps. Seagulls are not usually very popular with people, as they can make a lot of mess, but Jane says that Sid is different because he’s so unusual.

In a heartwarming rescue operation off the coast of Houston-Galveston, a U.S. CoastGuard team discovered an unexpected passenger during a routine inspection of shipping containers. The team, led by Petty Officer 2nd Class McMahon, were astonished when they heard barking and scratching coming from one of the containers.

As they cautiously opened the container, they were greeted by the sight of a small, furry face — a dog trapped inside the dark space. The dog seemed remarkably calm and happy to be liberated from her limited quarters.

“As soon as we opened it, we could see the little dog’s face poking out,” McMahon said. “She just seemed happy more than anything, to be out of that dark space and in the arms of people that were going to take care of her.”

Further investigation by Coast Guard officials revealed that Connie had been trapped in the container for at least eight days, deprived of food and water. The container, filled with deserted vehicles intended for overseas sales, had likely originated from a junkyard.

“So based on that, they think that the dog most likely was in a junkyard, in a car. And that how she accidentally got put in the container,” Chief Petty Officer Corinne Zilnicki said.

Grateful for being in the right place at the right time, McMahon expressed the urgency of the situation. “It would take at least another week to get to where she was going and two weeks without food or water. I don’t think she would have made it,” he said.

Forever Changed Animal Rescue has taken her in, diligently working to nurse her back to health and prepare her for adoption.