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LEESBURG, GEORGIA — A Leesburg man shot and killed an armadillo outside his trailer recently and simultaneously wounded his mother-in-law.

Police said the man used a 9mm pistol to shoot the armadillo. The bullet ricocheted, hit a fence, went through the door of his mother-in-law’s trailer, and struck her in the back as she sat in a recliner. She was taken to a hospital, treated for minor injuries, and released.

A police spokesman subsequently advised citizens to use a shotgun instead of a pistol when they “shoot at varmints and whatnot.”

DODOMA, TANZANIA — The Nature Conservancy has devised a way for rural Tanzanian villagers to protect their homes and crops from elephants without harming the animals: throwing condoms filled with chili powder.

The organization advises the villagers to try chasing away the elephant by shining a flashlight and sounding a horn. If that fails, they should use a “chili cloud” device that is made in advance.

The device is made by filling a condom with a mixture of chili powder and soil. A firecracker is inserted, and the end of the condom is twisted shut with the fuse exposed.

The fuse is lit, and the condom is thrown at the elephant. When the firecracker detonates, the explosion sends a fine dust of chili powder into the air.

One whiff usually sends the pachyderm packing.

FLORIANAPOLIS, BRAZIL — A Brazilian grandmother has been informed that the religious icon to which she was praying daily does not depict San Antonio de Padua, the patron saint of the poor, but actually is Elrond from The Lord of the Rings.

The woman’s granddaughter said she thought the clothing on the three-inch-tall figurine was unusual for a saint. When she researched the “icon” online, she discovered that the figure is a plastic toy of Elrond, the 6,000-year-old, half-elven Lord of Rivendell.

No report on the grandmother’s reaction.