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Frank Member
Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 318 | TRs | Pics Location: Snohomish |
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Frank
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Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:34 am
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This was in the Seattle times 6/22
Lions step in to help abducted Ethiopian girl
By ANTHONY MITCHELL
The Associated Press
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions that apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said yesterday.
The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by seven men who wanted to force her to marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo, speaking by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of Addis Ababa.
She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June 9 by police and relatives on the outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been guarded by the lions for about half a day, he said.
"They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest," Wondimu said.
"If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it could have been much worse. Often these young girls are raped and severely beaten to force them to accept the marriage," he said.
Tilahun Kassa, a local government official who corroborated Wondimu's version of the events, said one of the men had wanted to marry the girl against her wishes.
"Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle, because normally the lions would attack people," Wondimu said.
Stuart Williams, a wildlife expert with the rural-development ministry, said the girl may have survived because she was crying from the trauma of her attack.
"A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the mewing sound from a lion cub, which in turn could explain why they didn't eat her," Williams said.
Ethiopia's lions, famous for their large black manes, are the country's national symbol and adorn statues and the local currency. Despite a recent crackdown, hunters also kill the animals for their skins, which can fetch $1,000. Williams estimates that only 1,000 Ethiopian lions remain in the wild.
The girl, the youngest of four siblings, was "shocked and terrified" after her abduction and had to be treated for the cuts from her beatings, Wondimu said.
He said police had caught four of the abductors and three were still at large.
The United Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction.
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lookout bob WTA proponent.....
Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 3047 | TRs | Pics Location: wta work while in between lookouts |
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lookout bob
WTA proponent.....
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Thu Jun 23, 2005 8:33 am
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You go...Lions......
"Altitude is its own reward"
John Jerome ( from "On Mountains")
"Altitude is its own reward"
John Jerome ( from "On Mountains")
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Backpacker Joe Blind Hiker
Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 23956 | TRs | Pics Location: Cle Elum |
"The United Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction."
You go lions!
I know the PC crowd isn't going to like this, but a lot of the continent is F-d up big time!
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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Sore Feet Member
Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 6307 | TRs | Pics Location: Out There, Somewhere |
That's way cool. I want those lions as my pets.
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jennmonkey chupacabra
Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 279 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle, WA |
wow, that's really amazing. Poor girl.
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ActionBetty Im a dirty hippie!
Joined: 06 Jul 2003 Posts: 4807 | TRs | Pics Location: kennewick, wa |
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ActionBetty
Im a dirty hippie!
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Thu Jun 23, 2005 8:43 pm
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animals are amazing creatures. There are reportings of things such as this with children and animals taking care of them....it's usually feral dogs or wolves..this is the first time I have read about big cats doing something like this.
Awesome for the little girl.
"If you're not living good, you gotta travel wide"...Bob Marley
"If you're not living good, you gotta travel wide"...Bob Marley
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