Three cameras were installed at the school in Fukuoka prefecture, the footage showed the small animal entering the kindergarten and making way with a shoe in its mouth.
Deputy Police Chief Hiroaki Inada shared his relief with The Associated Press and said: “It’s great it turned out not to be a human being.” There had been concerns among teachers and parents that a person with an unusual shoe fetish was responsible for the disappearance of shoes.
Police video shows weasel stealing children’s shoes https://t.co/2gkLUjZNew ????
— Jennifer King (@jenapradio) November 22, 2024
In Japan, it’s customary to remove shoes before entering a home, and the missing items were all slip-on shoes worn indoors by children. These shoes had been stored in cubbyholes near the door.
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Weasels are known for hoarding objects, and people who keep them as pets often provide toys for this behaviour. The crafty creature took away 15 shoes before the police were alerted. On the following day, six more were snatched. The weasel made another appearance on November 12, stealing one more shoe, which was when it was caught on camera.
Interestingly, the weasel only targeted the white canvas shoes, likely because they were easier to carry.
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“We were so relieved,” said Yoshihide Saito, director of Gosho Kodomo-en kindergarten, speaking to Japanese broadcaster RKB Mainichi Broadcasting. The children found it hilarious when they saw the footage of the weasel in action.
Though the stolen shoes were never recovered, the remaining ones are now protected, with nets placed over the cubbyholes. The weasel, believed to be wild, remains at large.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
