No. 52

Police nab cyclist in gorilla suit in Dalby

Pedestrians and motorists in Dalby, a rural town in western Queensland, Australia, had to do a double take on Monday afternoon, when a gorilla was spotted cycling down the main street.

Police intervened about 3.15pm after the safety-conscious primate was spotted with his helmet on, riding along a footpath on Cunningham Street in Dalby’s centre.

But not all was as it seemed, police said the out-of-place African native was actually an 18-year-old Dalby resident, up to some monkey business.

Police said the man, who was dressed in a gorilla suit, was doing wheel-stands on the bike, or riding on just the back wheel, and posing a threat to pedestrians.

“If he’d been on two wheels, it could have been a slap on the wrist,” a police spokesman said.

“But there was a danger to pedestrians.”

When asked to explain himself, police said the teen insisted he was “just having fun”.

The man was issued with a $60 fine for causing a hazard to pedestrians.

He will have to pay with cash, not bananas.

Read more |  The Courier Mail, 07.09.11

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