Hi Everyone! 

As this Group is getting more active (which is  excellent  because there is a lot  to do!!) . . . but, since some of the issues can get a bit depressing & difficult to handle at times,  I think it is  important that we see the results of all our hard work ~ esp. when they are GOOD Results!!  . . . It helps us to recharge and rejuvenate,  so that we can continue to do what we need to do! 

. . . Anyway,  I thought it might be a good idea to have a  "Good News" Thread . . .

Please use this Thead to post  ANY/ALL  Good News  or  Updates ~ whether it's re:  anything we've been working on or not!! . . . Even if you come across something that was a success a while ago . . . Or just a nice story about someone's kindness toward an Animal, for a change!!  ~  Go ahead and post it,  we can still use the boost!!  

Máire, aka 

Cosmic Rhino  ] :< )

P.S. Don't forget to also give yourself a pat on the back & an occassional treat for all your  awesome  work!!   

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I think you'll like this story, it's a great uplifter:

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/family/4405821/detail.html

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From: ELES K. To: ELES K.'s Network Subject:3 Ethiopian Lions save Human Girl     Message: Just thought Id share this very touching story...

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- Police say three lions rescued a 12-year-old girl kidnapped by men who wanted to force her into marriage, chasing off her abductors and guarding her until police and relatives tracked her down in a remote corner of Ethiopia.

The men had held the girl for seven days, repeatedly beating her, before the lions chased them away and guarded her for half a day before her family and police found her, Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo said Tuesday by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, some 560 kilometers (348 miles) west of the capital, Addis Ababa.

"They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest," Wondimu said, adding he did not know whether the lions were male or female.

News of the June 9 rescue was slow to filter out from Kefa Zone in southwestern Ethiopia.

"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.

"Everyone in 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 that it was likely that the young girl was saved 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 (the lions) didn't eat her," Williams said. "Otherwise they probably would have done."

The girl, the youngest of four brothers and sisters, was "shocked and terrified" and had to be treated for the cuts from her beatings, Wondimu said.

He said that police had caught four of the men, but were still looking for three others.

In Ethiopia, kidnapping has long been part of the marriage custom, a tradition of sorrow and violence whose origins are murky.

The United Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction, practiced in rural areas where the majority of the country's 71 million people live.

Ethiopia's lions, famous for their large black manes, are the country's national symbol and adorn statues and the local currency. Former emperor Haile Selassie kept a pride in the royal palace in Addis Ababa.

Despite their integral place in Ethiopia culture, their numbers have been falling, according to experts, as farmers encroach on bush land.

Hunters also kill the animals for their skins, which can fetch $1,000, despite a recent crackdown against illegal animal trading across the country. Williams said that at most only 1,000 Ethiopian lions remain in the wild.

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Jo K.
Senseless Shark Killing Banned, 9:54 AM
Senseless Shark Killing Banned, Thanks to You!

Dear DEN Subscriber:

Congratulations! Defenders of Wildlife recently asked for your help to stop shark finning -- the practice of cutting off sharks' dorsal, pectoral and tail fins, then dumping the shark back into the water. Now, thanks to your efforts, there is a new international ban on this cruel and wasteful practice.

You and nearly 30,000 other wildlife supporters answered the call to action, and last week the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission adopted a resolution to ban finning in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The resolution is a giant step towards preventing the needless killing of blacktip, silky, blue and other sharks caught by tuna fishing boats in the region.

Thanks again for taking action. You're making a difference!

Regards,
Kelly Malsch
Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. This is a huge victory, but other marine wildlife still needs your help. Please visit http://www.savedolphins.org to find out what else you can do.

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THANK YOU  to  EVERYONE  who helped make this possible!!!!           

Máire, aka

Cosmic Rhino   ] :< )

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Sent: 7/14/2005 - 6:39 AM 

From: Jelena Z. 

To: Jelena Z.'s Network 

Subject:! Thank You My Friends !     

Message: 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/777611166

Path to You: Jelena Z. > Cosmic Rhino Gifts

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-----Original Message-----

CROSS POST ** CROSS POST


>>> "Ingrid Hurel" <pajade@gmx.de> 09/16/05 12:07PM >>>

BEST FRIENDS REPORT

http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=specialreports&catid=04061773-


Kanab, UT - (9/15/2005) -

Today, Best Friends Animal Society became the first animal rescue organization to enter St. Bernard Parish since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

We entered at 9 a.m. with Councilman Mark Maderi, operating under the authority of St. Bernard animal control officer Cecile Trog.   Before today, 17 days after the disaster, no official assessment had yet been done.

Best Friends reports that assumptions that most of the animals had drowned or otherwise perished are INCORRECT.  Thousands are alive -- albeit in desperate conditions. We estimate that they have at most 3 or 4 days left to survive. Our assessment included Chalmette, Mereaux, Arabi, and Violet.

We saw many animals who had been rounded up by military people, who have been doing their best to look after them on an unofficial basis and feeding them MREs. But these animals are still emaciated and dehydrated and need urgent medical attention.

Major resources are needed to address the needs of these animals immediately. They are on the streets, locked in houses, everywhere.

We urge and implore the state and federal authorities to mount a massive effort to support animal rescue efforts to save these household pets in need.

These needs include:

- Additional emergency shelter locations, since the primary shelter at Gonzalez is already full to capacity

- Veterinary medical attention

- Efforts to locate the animals' families.


KATRINA PETS:  Please help BEST FRIENDS help Katrina's pets


>>> trebleclef9999 <trebleclef9999@yahoo.com> 09/16/05 01:31PM >>>

Hi All,

As most of you already know (and for those who don't) Best Friends has been wonderful - in fact, the most consistent organization in helping our Los Angeles Shelter Animals.  If you care about Katrina's pets - and I know you do - please go to  www.bestfriends.org  and DONATE to help them help these animals.  (Many of you have already, I know.)

The victims of Katrina and their pets will need help LONG AFTER everyone has gone back to their own lives...so let's keep the help flowing.

Thank you and bless you.

Dina Takouris, Reporter:  Tolucan Times and Entertainment Today

PS>  My husband is in New Orleans now, and we will be making several trips.  We especially want to help unite people with their families and people with their pets....so if you belong to an organization, or know an organization needing help...please let me know.  [ send green star]  

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Matt D.

17 DAYS? 17 DAYS? 3:20 PM

I thought Animal rescue groups already WERE in St Bernard Parish????????

17 days? It took those lazy, bureaucratic S.O.B.'s 17 DAYS to decide "Oh, you know...maybe we should let those groups in, you know, the ones that want to rescue the Animals who were affected by the hurricane 2 and a half weeks ago....wonder if they're still alive?"

Makes me want to vomit.

Lets hope they can save those Animals before its too late.


Prayer:

God, please help those Animals to be safe and to sustain their strength to live, long enough so that they can be rescued.

On behalf of many of your human animal children who commit the evil act of leaving your other Animal children to die, I apologize.

Forgive them, for they know not what they do. They need the light of your truth, Jesus.

Many of us have been thinking of the precious Animals from day one, my Lord.

Your beautiful four legged children are loved by many.

God, please bless the members of this group and their Animals, for their hard work in trying to save your precious children.

May God Bless all of us, on Earth and in Heaven.

Amen.  

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Care2 Daily Action - Rescuing Katrina's Animal Victims: Watch a Slideshow

Welcome to the Daily Action Site! Take action and we'll keep track in your success journal!

Today's daily action is to watch a touching slideshow of the Humane Society of the United States' rescue efforts since Hurricane Katrina.

WHY? Care2 members have donated, signed petitions, and followed the rescue and relief efforts for people and animals ever since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region three weeks ago. The Humane Society of the United States has put together a touching slide show of some of their rescue efforts. With Hurricane Rita bearing down on the region again, we hope that all people and animals will be safely evacuated and protected from harm.

Check out HSUS' slide show today - click the button to TakeAction!

http://www.hsus2.org/slideshow-katrina/

 

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