Odd News Roundup: Japanese health officials find 164 dogs crammed into tiny house; Tram runs off track, lands on whale statue's tail and more

Buddy's is the first bar to serve as a voting venue in Harris County - the largest in Texas by population - after owner Christopher Barry proposed it to officials seeking to make voting easier during the coronavirus pandemic.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

Japanese health officials find 164 dogs crammed into tiny house

Japanese health officials have found 164 emaciated dogs crammed into a tiny house in one of the country's worst cases of animal hoarding, an animal rights activist said on Wednesday, The parasite-infested animals were found in a 30 square-metre (323 sq foot) house in the city of Izumo, in western Japan, in mid-October after neighbours had complained, said Kunihisa Sagami, the head of animal rights group Dobutsukikin.

A whopper of a tale? Tram runs off track, lands on whale statue's tail

An elevated tram ran past the end of its tracks in Rotterdam on Monday, but instead of plunging 10 meters to the ground from a pier it came to rest delicately on top of a statue of a whale's tail. The conductor emerged shocked but unharmed and there were no passengers on board. The statue, coincidentally entitled "Saved by a Whale's Tale", had not been intended to actually save a train.

Ballots, beer and a drag queen on roller skates: Election Day at a Texas bar

Houston LGBTQ bar Buddy's offered Texans a unique election experience on Tuesday: casting ballots for the U.S. presidential election in 14 voting booths on its dance floor. Buddy's is the first bar to serve as a voting venue in Harris County - the largest in Texas by population - after owner Christopher Barry proposed it to officials seeking to make voting easier during the coronavirus pandemic.