Lions Save Kidnapped Girl?

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Lions Save Kidnapped Girl?

Postby proldic » Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:17 pm

'Lions would have eaten girl'<br>22/06/2005 (SA News) <br><br>Addis Ababa - Ethiopia was abuzz on Wednesday over reports that a small pride of lions rescued a 12-year-old girl from pursuers intending to force her into marriage, but wildlife experts scoffed at the accounts. <br><br>In a country recently embroiled in deadly post-election violence, the story of big cats saving a vulnerable maiden from unsavoury captors resonated throughout the capital and other cities where residents spoke excitedly of "miracles" and "divine intervention." <br><br>According to a police officer...the three lions chased away seven men who had abducted and beaten up the 12-year-old in an attempt to force her into an arranged marriage. <br><br>They then stood guard over the traumatised, sobbing girl before disappearing into the bush when police and family members arrived on the scene in the remote region of Bita Genet about 400km southwest of Addis Ababa. <br><br>Bita Genet police Sergeant Wondimu Wedajo said it appeared the lions had been attracted by the girl's screams and taken pity on her. <br><br>He called the incident "a miracle" and described the behaviour of the cats "something unbelievable."...<br><br>[The girl] 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.<br><br>"They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest," Wondimu said.<br><br>"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.<br><br>Experts expressed extreme doubts about the report... <br>In fact, they said, far from displaying highly unusual empathy with a human being, the lions were almost certainly preparing to eat or attack the girl when they were surprised by police searching for the missing youngster. <br><br>Ketma Amberber, the head of the Zoological and Natural History museum at Addis Ababa University...offered an alternative theory. <br><br>"This was pure luck, it was not a question of guarding the girl or keeping her safe," he said. "Either the lions had already eaten and were full or the police arrived as they were deciding whether to eat her or attack. <br><br>"Otherwise, as they are wild naturally, it is more likely they would have killed the girl," Ketma said. <br><br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Woman who fell overboard "comforted" by seal

Postby proldic » Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:23 pm

B.C. woman who survived ordeal at sea released from hospital<br>14 Jul 2005 CBC <br><br>The 34-year-old B.C. woman who spent more than eight hours in the cold waters of the Strait of Georgia Wednesday has been released from hospital. <br><br>Clay Adams, spokesperson for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, said the woman, who fell off a sailboat, had fully recovered by Wednesday night. He said he doesn't expect the ordeal will leave her with any lasting health problems.... <br><br>"In terms of cold exposure, there's unlikely to be any ongoing effects," Adams said. "The biggest concern after an ordeal such as that is obviously any psychological impact that may have occurred to somebody."... <br><br>The woman, who has not been identified, was discovered tired but alive after spending several hours in chilly Pacific waters. <br><br>She fell overboard while her two sailing companions were asleep, drifted in 18-degree water for more than eight hours without a lifejacket.... <br><br>"We helped her aboard by virtually dragging her up the ladder because she did not have enough energy to come up the boat on her own."....<br><br>...She told doctors she was comforted by a seal that stayed close to her while she was treading water in the Strait of Georgia. <br><br>"There have been cases where people have survived for a long period of time," Pash said. <br><br>"The fact that it's summertime, and the mouth of the Fraser River can be a little warmer helps a little bit. But she is a very, very, very, very, very lucky woman. <br> <p></p><i></i>
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Some dogs can detect medical problems before they occur

Postby proldic » Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:32 pm

Some dogs sniff out medical problems before they occur<br> <br>July 28, 2005 National Post<br> <br>PHILADELPHIA - Bob Maher's diabetes was shutting his body down. He no longer got the shakes or the sweats to warn him that his blood sugar was plummeting. Instead, he would just pass out.<br><br>It made him scared to drive, to be alone, even to sleep.<br><br>Chewie's going to change all that. The two-year-old dog, an auburn Labrador mix named after the Star Wars character Chewbacca, has the ability to detect changes in Mr. Maher's blood sugar that are unrecognizable to Mr. Maher himself. Chewie then alerts Mr. Maher to correct it.<br><br>To see the phenomenon "just makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up," said Jennifer Kriesel, director of development at Canine Partners for Life, a Chester County, Pa., organization that trains service dogs for people with impaired mobility and medical conditions...<br><br>...Chewie may also improve Mr. Maher's health. Tighter blood-sugar control lowers the chance of long-term diabetes-related complications, such as blindness or amputations.<br><br>Service dogs assist recipients by helping them balance or walk, opening doors, retrieving objects -- even phones -- and flipping light switches.<br><br>Some, like Chewie, have the additional, innate ability to sense medical episodes before they have occurred.<br><br>Alert dogs were first recognized for detecting seizures, but increasing evidence suggests they can also detect other medical conditions, such as low blood sugar.<br><br>Mr. Maher and Chewie are the first diabetes-alert team Canine Partners has paired up.<br><br>Chewie's obedience is broken only when he wants to alert Mr. Maher to check his blood sugar. Each dog's alert is different, and one challenge for recipients is to recognize when their dogs are trying to warn them. Chewie stops in front of Mr. Maher and refuses to move.<br><br>Chewie has alerted Mr. Maher seven times. Originally skeptical of Chewie's alerts because they would sometimes come right after he had eaten -- when low blood sugar should not be a problem -- Mr. Maher checked his level and realized Chewie was right. Every time.<br><br>At Canine Partners, about three out of every 10 service dogs appear to have this ability, according to Ms. Kriesel.<br><br>It's unclear exactly how the dogs sense blood-sugar problems or impending seizures. It may be changes in a person's scent or electrical activity in the body or brain, Ms. Kriesel said.<br><br>Research from the University of Florida finds that some dogs indeed have the ability to alert, but how they do it is unknown....<br><br>For Mr. Maher, who used to be reluctant to talk about his diabetes, Chewie is not only helping him get his life back, but he is also ushering Mr. Maher out of the diabetes closet.<br><br>Chewie, Mr. Maher said, "will set me free."<br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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horses too!

Postby Dreams End » Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:56 pm

I met a woman in a grocery store with a miniature pony, also trained to sniff out blood sugar levels. I don't know why she had a pony and not a dog, but it was interesting. <p></p><i></i>
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