WATCH: Rat Tries to Go Down Escalator Wrong Way in Penn Station
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Rats taking on giant dinner rolls and slices of pizza in the subway have become fodder for viral memes this year, but no New York City rodent has attempted such a feat as one undertaken at the height of Monday's morning rush at Penn Station.
A video posted to YouTube shows a determined rat trying to make its way down the escalator — but going the wrong way — at the Seventh Avenue exit of the busy transit hub around 9 a.m.
People taking the escalator were lunging out of the way as they noticed the rat, according to NBC staffer Josh Kleinbaum, who saw it in action. A woman handing out copies of the Metro newspaper was urging passersby to step on the creature.
NYPD / Twitter
A bold bovine escaped the confines of a Queens slaughter house, prompting NYPD officers to channel their best cowboy impressions on Jan. 21. The cow ran through the streets of Jamaica, Queens, narrowly missing a collision with a passing MTA bus. Officers eventually cornered the cow in a parking garage before returning it to the slaughterhouse.
Provided to NBC 4 New York
When in doubt, jump through a glass window and run wildly — at least, that was what a 1-year-old male deer did at a New Jersey middle school Feb. 26. Classes weren't in session at the time, but that didn't stop the young fawn from leaping over furniture and ransacking the student dean's office. Animal control eventually retrieved the deer from the school, and, for the students, the rest is social media history.
The Barnyard Sanctuary
Nobody can resist a cherry danish, not even a pig. A woman lured a young pot-belly piglet away from a busy New Jersey interstate using a cherry danish she had brought from home after he was dumped on the side of a road on Mar. 23. The good Samaritan waited for about 45 minutes by the piglet's side to ensure he didn't wander into traffic.
Getty Images
Independence was not all it's quacked up to be for a large group of ducks. New Jersey State and Wildlife officials rescued 92 Khali Campbell ducks who were dumped near the Mill Creek Mall in Secaucus on July 18. The ducks, who belong to a flightless domesticated breed, were taken to local non-profit animal rescue shortly after they were found.
Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
A Port Authority bus dispatcher reunited a lost turtle with his grateful, but sleepy owner after he was found on a roadway inside the terminal. The reptile had spent roughly half an hour at the police desk when his owner arrived holding a second turtle. He claimed he had been sleeping when the turtle escaped from his shoulder bag to go exploring.
Collene Freda / Facebook
A little dog had an adventure in a big city after it rode an NJ Transit train for more than eight hours Sept. 8. Hobo the dog was rescued by a New Jersey animal group after he was spotted several times riding a train between Pennsylvania and New York Penn Station. After he was scooped up, Hobo was taken to a shelter in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
NJ State Police/Twitter
A buck hung on for deer life as a New Jersey state trooper pulled him by the antlers to safety on Oct. 23. The buck wandered into the backyard of a Warren County home and nearly drowned after he fell into the swimming pool. The buck struggled for some time before he eventually recovered and ran off after he was rescued.
Carla DeKalb
This pup was pumped to see snow! Carla DeKalb captured her dog Loki excitedly running around her backyard as he tried to catch snowflakes on his tongue. It was the first big snow of the season in Grand Junction, Colorado and from the looks of it, it definitely won't be the last. Loki has plenty of opportunities to make doggie snow angels.
Craig Ruttle
This one will be a whale of a tale to tell: for nearly a week, a humpback whale cavorted in the Hudson River and was spotted munching on fish near the George Washington Bridge Nov. 18. The sighting was a rare treat for New Yorkers and boat captains: whales are seldomly spotted so far north up the Hudson, according to one boat captain who spotted the humpbacked creature.
NBC 4 New York
A white tailed-buck who grew "deer" to Harlem residents went through a crazy two weeks after making his residence in Jackie Robinson Park. Residents grew so fond of the buck that they named him J.R., after the park where he was discovered. Though the state attempted to rescue the buck and relocate him, he died before he was able to be transported.
Sam Mazur, who took the video, according to Gothamist, told the website the rat caused a bit of commotion.
"But most people were more amused by it than anything," Mazur said. "It's not like New Yorkers haven't seen a rat before. Still, I'm glad I took the stairs."
