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New Mosquito Attraction shut down by officials as rogue mosquitoes overtake city

By Richard Przybyszewski, Midwest News Channel

Updated 11:51 AM CDT, Mon April 1, 2024

(Midwest News Channel) — What began as an innovative plan to boost tourism in one Southeastern Minnesota city has erupted into chaos after a fleet of giant mosquitoes trained to give “parasail” rides to people turned on their handlers, ate them, and began hunting the city looking for random people to give “rides” to.

The creatures, whose origins are shrouded in mystery, had been outfitted with harnesses and trained to give brief thrill rides, including over an alligator park in the Mississippi River at Winona, Minn., officials say. The mosquito attraction, created by Winona’s tourism bureau in an effort to compare the city to Miami, Fla., promised to give riders “the thrill of a lifetime” by offering progressively more dangerous packages that extended from a land ride using a harness to a ride over the city’s alligator park, Minnesota Gators, with riders held only by the grip of the mosquito’s legs. The Lunatic Package had a poor safety record and officials were ruminating over whether the attraction should be shut down, but no one could agree on what agency had authority over mosquito rides due to the attraction’s one-of-a-kind nature.

Early Monday, several mosquitoes left Mosquito Island, a holding area for the giant insects, and instead of reporting to Levee Park for work, began flying over the city. Witnesses say that the bugs were swooping down on unsuspecting people and carrying them away as horrified bystanders looked on. On hearing that the mosquitoes had gone rogue, two ride handlers attempted to catch and harness the creatures but were eaten whole by them instead. A tourism bureau official who asked her identity not be revealed because she was not authorized to speak on the matter, called the incident unfortunate and said she believes the mosquitoes are just confused. “You train them and train them to give rides to anyone who walks up, so it’s not surprising that they think everyone likes rides,” she said. “I think they believe they are doing what they were trained to do. Either that or they’re being controlled by alien overlords.”

The whereabouts of three people are unknown, though officials have confirmed that one man was dropped into the city’s alligator attraction, which is in a roped-off area located in the backwaters of the Mississippi River. He was rescued by an alligator handler, who happened to be in a kayak at the time, and is reportedly receiving medical care for minor injuries including his uncontrolled crying. Search and rescue teams have been deployed, said Emergency Response Coordinator Bruce Jedrzejczyk, as have tactical units. “We’ve got snipers in the air and water patrols out looking, even though we basically have no idea where these things have taken folks. But we’re going to find these people,” he said. “Unless they’ve been eaten, then we’re for sure not going to find them.”

The giant mosquitoes were discovered last year on Mosquito Island, a favorite boating destination in the Mississippi River. In recent years, boaters had begun to avoid the island, claiming that the mosquitoes seemed bigger than usual. Entomologists say they haven’t got a clue why the mosquitoes are so big, saying it could be perhaps a freak radiation burst or hybridization by aliens. Many were surprised at how easily the insects took to being trained, though skeptics warned that it was likely part of a plot to take over Winona.

Officials say the situation continues to be unpredictable and are warning individuals to stay indoors until the city’s siren sounds to indicate the all-clear.

Stay tuned for updates.