Whodunit! What’s the mystery of the missing shoes at Japanese kindergarten

When shoes began disappearing at a kindergarten in Fukuoka, Japan, the peculiar thefts left both staff and police puzzled, especially since the culprit seemed to prefer single shoes rather than pairs.

The mystery deepened earlier this month after 15 shoes went missing in one night, followed by three more the next day.

The missing items were indoor shoes, worn exclusively by children at the Gosho Kodomo-en kindergarten in Koga.

Some scattered footwear was found on the floor, but the stolen ones remained unaccounted for.

Determined to crack the case, the local police installed three security cameras around the facility, hoping to catch the thief red-handed.

Their effort paid off on the night of November 11, when another shoe vanished.

Upon reviewing the footage, they identified the perpetrator—not a human thief, but a sneaky weasel with orange-brown fur and sharp claws.

The footage showed the agile animal darting out from behind a wall, grabbing a white shoe from the children’s cubbyholes, and vanishing in a matter of seconds.

“We were extremely worried at first, but now we’re relieved to learn it wasn’t a person but an animal,” a staff member told local media.

Police speculated that the weasel had been using the shoes to line its nest, likely because it had recently given birth and was seeking warmth as temperatures dropped.

While the exact location of the stolen footwear remains unknown, the kindergarten has taken measures to prevent further incidents by covering the cubbyholes with nets at night, a strategy jokingly referred to as a "crime prevention measure".

'Clever thieves'

Such peculiar cases of animals taking items aren’t as rare as they might seem.

In North Carolina, a stray dog repeatedly snuck into a store to steal the same purple unicorn toy.

The persistence of the thief led animal control to intervene, but the officer, moved by the dog’s attachment, bought the toy before taking the animal to a shelter.

The story quickly went viral and ended with the dog finding a loving home.

Similarly, in India, rhesus macaques are notorious for their 'clever thefts'.

These monkeys often target valuable items like glasses or phones, fully aware of their importance to humans. Remarkably, they use the stolen goods to negotiate for food, showcasing their intelligence and ability to manipulate situations to their advantage.

As for the missing shoes, their fate might remain as elusive as their furry thief.