The Wild Animal Hoax

One night in November, the Herald was poised to publish an incredible and tragic story with a headline that would draw attention: “A shocking Sabbath Carnival of Death.” A rhinoceros at the Central Park zoo had escaped and gored one of its keepers to death. Other animal keepers were naturally distracted by the event and in the chaos, other animals escaped including a polar bear, panther, lion, hyena, and tiger. The animals attacked each other and then turned on pedestrians who they mauled and dismembered. In an effort to save some of the victims, a number of amputations were performed in nearby hospitals. At press time, some of the animals were still on the rampage. The mayor issued a curfew. For once Bennett made no changes to the lead story.

The story was a fraud which was pronounced at the end of the article...