This week, the Wyrdos get stuck into some truly bizarre news stories, from a surgeon's shocking fraud to a raccoon's boozy misadventure.

• The Sepsis Surgeon: We delved into a truly perplexing Guardian article about a surgeon who froze his own legs to have them amputated for sexual gratification, only to then commit insurance fraud. We got into the weeds on the details, the judge's reaction, and the concerning implications for his former patients. It's a tale that's less supernatural and more just... horrible.
• The Mars Rover: Andy shared a more optimistic and less horrifying news item from PBS. NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover has found new rock samples that show the most compelling evidence yet of ancient life on the red planet. While not definitive, the discovery of organic carbon and other chemical byproducts is a fascinating step forward in our search for extraterrestrial life.
• A Fin Whale of a Tale: Craig brought us a story from Wales Online about a rare fin whale that washed up on a beach in Wharf. While the headline was exciting, the story turned out to be a sad reminder of the impact of climate change. We discussed the depressing nature of these events and the beautiful, but grim, phenomenon of a 'whale fall'.
• Magic Mushroom Mayhem: The Wyrdos moved on to a more light-hearted tale from The Guardian about four hikers who got lost in the Catskill Mountains after taking magic mushrooms. One of them was having a "debilitating high" and they had lost their car keys, leading to a rather confused rescue operation.
• Dead Foxes in Swindon: Craig brought up a story from his old stomping grounds about a disturbing discovery of dead foxes in bags. We briefly discussed the unsettling nature of animal cruelty and its potential link to more serious crimes.
• Surrey's Big Cat? We talked about a man in Surrey who claimed to be attacked by a leopard. We explored the details of his claw injuries and the online speculation that this might not have been a wild cat at all. We also considered the possibility that a local "big cat expert" might be a little too keen on promoting the idea of big cats in the area.
• The Raccoon Rhapsody: We ended with a story that could only be from the New York Post: a nurse saved a raccoon from drowning in moonshine-soaked peaches. The heroic act, complete with mouth-to-snout CPR, provided a much-needed dose of wholesome weirdness to cap off the episode.

"Don't blame the owls."

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Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro

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