There is “something special” about humans that differ from animals. We possess a capability far beyond any living creatures, which made us forget that animals also play a special role in our lives.
Many stories about domesticated animals saving human beings changed the latter outlook about animal nature but we have rarely come across cases where the wild animals have come to the aid of a human being in danger.”
Three lions unbelievably saved a 12-year-old Ethiopian girl from a potentially terrible fate.
Several men abducted the poor girl while she was on her way to school. She had been missing for a week and they had reportedly beaten her severely and tried to force her into marrying one of them.
Eventually, her captors were chased off by the pride of lions.
Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo told the Associated Press that the lions stood guard until authorities found the girl and then the 3 heroes just left her like a gift and went back into the forest.
Wedajo said that the lions saved her from a far worse fate.
“If the lions had not come to rescue her, then it could have been much worse,” he said. “Often these young girls are raped and severely beaten to force them to accept the marriage.”
Even government officials in Ethiopia are astounded by Lions’ magical intervention.
“Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle because normally the lions would attack people,” Wedajo said.
Local wildlife officials say it might be the girl’s cries that saved her as she could have been mistaken for a lion’s cub.
“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,” wildlife expert Stuart Williams, who is with the rural development ministry, told news outlet.
Game hunter Col. Lemma Legesse says this probably isn’t true and the lions were just waiting to attack.
“They were probably preparing to eat her but were intercepted by the police and others,” he told another news agency.
Ethiopia’s lions, which are famous for their black manes, are a rare sight as Williams estimates there to only be about 1,000 of them left in the wild. Their diminishing numbers are due to poaching as their skins can go for at least $1,000 each.
The girl was immediately given medical treatment for the cuts she received during her abduction, which left her “shocked and terrified.”
Four of the assailants have been captured while three are still at large.
Kidnapping is a common practice in Ethiopia. It is considered to be a marriage custom in that is practiced in rural areas where most of the country’s 71 million people reside.
Article Sources: Shareably, Shareably/Facebook Photo Credit: The Kakapo