In a twist on the usual tale of stolen goods, a Southlake, Texas family found their home the site of a peculiar, wildlife-infused theft when an opossum made off with a cookie delivery intended for a 15-year-old's birthday celebration, KXAN reports. The sneaky marsupial was caught on camera dragging away the box of treats from Austin-based bakery Tiff’s Treats, only leaving behind some icing and a balloon.
The oddity occurred late at night on Jan. 27, when the family, presumably out at the time, missed the delivery, setting the stage for the nighttime caper, the Southlake Department of Public Safety shared in a video that highlighted the unexpected porch pirate's deed – it showed the opossum, arguably Southlake's smallest and most unusual thief, hauling the birthday goods into the darkness. The family, upon finding the remnants sans cookies, inspected their front porch surveillance films to discover the sweet-toothed critter’s escapade which the Southlake Police Department is using as a cautionary tale, warning locals about the potential fate of packages left unattended.
As stated by Chron.com, the police are recommending that residents add lighting to their yards and patios, and consider installing cameras, such is the case with the birthday boy's family; these measures can help dissuade not just animal intruders but also human ones from lifting unclaimed goods, with the added benefit of allowing law enforcement to focus on more pressing issues rather than investigating reports of stolen parcels.
According to Security.org's annual package theft report, with nearly half of Americans having experienced package theft, Texas joins a list of states where such crimes are treated as felonies, intensifying the risk for those who might see unattended deliveries as easy pickings, irrespective of whether they happen to walk on two legs or scuttle on four like our cookie-loving opossum here, though Tiff’s Treats has generously offered to replace the birthday cookies for free, reaffirming the sweetness that often follows the sour taste of loss.
