Car thieves got more than they bargained for when they stole a Toyota Lexus from a farmyard in Baldonnel, Co Dublin, yesterday, for in the vehicle was explosive sperm.
Gardai warned the thieves that they were carrying a sealed cannister in which Al (artificial insemination) straws were packed in liquid nitrogen, which was extremely dangerous and could explode if it is tampered with.
The liquid, which runs at minus 180 degrees Celsius, is "deadly dangerous". "If you put your finger in it, your finger would literally burn off in seconds," according to one expert. The cannister, which resembles a fire extinguisher, emits steam if opened but it is the liquid inside which can cause most harm.
"If they have any sense they will run a mile from it," says Co Meath vet, Mr Peter Dargan. "Because of the extraordinary temperature it should only be handled with great respect and by people who know what they are doing. If you spilled it on yourself it would burn right through you.".
The car, a dark blue Toyota Lexus, was stolen at 2.30 p.m. from a farmyard in Baldonnel. It has a Northern registration, RXI 9000.