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World of the Bizarre

Man tames giant hornet and keeps it as a pet

By T.K. Randall
August 14, 2014 · Comment icon 36 comments

It's not quite a substitute for a dog or a cat. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Thomas Brown
The unnamed man from Japan allegedly ties string to the insect and takes it out for regular walks.
Measuring up to 6cm in length the giant Japanese hornet is one of the largest and deadliest insects in the world. In its native Japan these huge wasp-like creatures claim 40 lives on average every year and are considered the second most dangerous species in the country next to humans.

None of these facts however seem to have stopped one man in Japan from keeping one of them as a pet after he claimed to have caught it in a butterfly net and removed its sting and poison sacs.

Eyebrows were raised across the Internet this week when a series of photographs posted to the man's Twitter account appeared to show him taking the venomous insect for a walk on the streets of Tokyo using a small piece of string tied around its abdomen.
"He does bite occasionally but it doesn't really hurt," he wrote.

The story has since gone viral and social media has been abuzz with efforts to determine whether or not the story is genuine. Some Internet users have speculated that the images have been faked as part of a prank while others have suggested that it could be some sort of viral marketing exercise.

So far however the authenticity of the story has managed to remain something of a mystery.

Source: Yahoo! News | Comments (36)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #27 Posted by shrooma 10 years ago
The feared six centimetre (2.5 inches) long Asian insects - which can fly at up to 25 mph - have a powerful, poisonous sting . for ****s' sake, don't tell HAMAS!! .
Comment icon #28 Posted by DieChecker 10 years ago
The one on the left appears the most real, since the legs are gripping the hand. It also appears that the wings are a little beat up on the ends. But, perhaps it does not fly anymore?
Comment icon #29 Posted by pallidin 10 years ago
Good God, now you guys have me confused.
Comment icon #30 Posted by village_idiot 10 years ago
This is the first thing that came to mind after reading this article....
Comment icon #31 Posted by DieChecker 10 years ago
Good God, now you guys have me confused. Bwahhh, Ha, ha........
Comment icon #32 Posted by QuiteContrary 10 years ago
I have also heard of people tying preying mantis to their bed posts. It was in a kids science book I read a very long time ago. Even though I am "into" insects, this is strictly my opinion and I haven't been able to find anything to back it up so take it as such: You have insects that sit motionless and wait on prey, like a praying mantis. So maybe tying them to a leash works. But if hornets are active hunters and don't sit around motionless waiting on prey. I can't see one being complacent on a leash. And not trying to taking flight. And ripping off some insect's head or thorax or abdomen isn... [More]
Comment icon #33 Posted by DieChecker 10 years ago
I have also heard of people tying preying mantis to their bed posts. It was in a kids science book I read a very long time ago. Even though I am "into" insects, this is strictly my opinion and I haven't been able to find anything to back it up so take it as such: You have insects that sit motionless and wait on prey, like a praying mantis. So maybe tying them to a leash works. But if hornets are active hunters and don't sit around motionless waiting on prey. I can't see one being complacent on a leash. And not trying to taking flight. And ripping off some insect's head or thorax or abdomen isn... [More]
Comment icon #34 Posted by Beacon_Field 10 years ago
This story bugs me. The man bugs me. He's a pleb.
Comment icon #35 Posted by :PsYKoTiC:BeHAvIoR: 10 years ago
This story bugs me. The man bugs me. He's a pleb. You're probably the first poster, nay, the first person that I have seen use a deriving word for plebeian. Haha. Welcome to the forums!
Comment icon #36 Posted by kidagakash 10 years ago
So I guess walking a pet cabbage down the street has been replaced with hornets


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