Touching animal stories in the news......

[Miss Mary]

Two appeared in my daily paper today, the first one does read like a Disney Movie plot (well, the second one does as well but I'm a sucker for stories like these!).

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2009 ... /1055/NEWS

Fugitive cow passes away
By Barry M. Horstman • bhorstman@enquirer.com • January 10, 2009

Cincinnati Freedom, the fugitive cow that drew worldwide headlines when she escaped from a Camp Washington slaughterhouse in 2002 and eluded authorities for 11 days, has died at an animal sanctuary in New York.

The 2,000-pound white Charolais, "adopted" by internationally renowned artist Peter Max after her stirring escape in Cincinnati, was put down Dec. 29 at the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen shortly after being diagnosed with spinal cancer. The quickly spreading cancer, which becomes apparent in cows only when the size of the tumor puts pressure on the spine, caused the cow - often called Cinci or Freedom for short - to lose the use of her back legs.

The day before Cinci's death, Farm Sanctuary officials noticed her stumbling, and by the following day, she was paralyzed and couldn't walk, said Susie Coston, the Farm Sanctuary's national shelter director. Even so, Cinci, always shy around humans, tried to crawl away when a veterinarian arrived to examine her, Coston said.

Cinci's closest pals in the sanctuary's herd of about 50 cattle - other slaughterhouse escapees that included Queenie from Queens, N.Y., Annie Dodge from Vermont and Maxine from New York - were no more thrilled to see the vet and dented her car, Coston said.

The evening before, when her immobility kept Cinci in the pasture, her cow buddies spent the night with her.

"She had some very good friends who were very protective of her," Coston said.

After the vet determined there was no hope Cinci would recover use of her legs, sanctuary officials decided to humanely euthanize her.

Again, the herd surrounded Cinci, with one of the oldest steers, Kevin, licking her face, while Iris, an older female, licked her back to soothe her in her final minutes, said Natalie Bowman, the sanctuary's communications director. They remained with Cinci until she was buried, after initially chasing a worker who arrived to handle the sad task back to his tractor.

"It was very moving," Coston said. "I've never seen anything like it. You really saw all those basic emotions at work."

Cinci became a folk hero in February 2002 when, moments before she was to be slaughtered, she jumped a six-foot fence at Ken Meyer Meats in Camp Washington and evaded police and officials from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for a week and a half while foraging in Mount Storm Park.

News outlets from Canada, England, France, Germany and Australia covered the elusive cow's saga, which also repeatedly made the national news, including ABC-TV's "Good Morning America," where then-Mayor Charlie Luken pledged to give her a key to the city. In the course of that coverage, reporters left no pun unturned, milking the story for all it was worth.

After her capture, Max, saying he was "very touched by this cow's run for freedom, for life," bought the animal from Meyer Meats and paid to send her to the sanctuary in upstate New York, where hundreds of animals rescued from slaughterhouses, stockyards and factory farms receive lifelong care.

Max named the cow Cincinnati Freedom. He also often called her Cindy Woo, Coston said.

Sanctuary officials were not certain of Cinci's age, but estimate that she was 6 to 8 years old when she arrived in April 2002, meaning she would have been 13 to 15 when she died. "That's a pretty good life for a Charolais," Coston said.

At the sanctuary, Cinci apparently found that it was more fun to eat when one did have not to worry any longer about being eaten herself, gaining more than 500 pounds.

"She was a bit of a chunk," Coston said, laughing. Still, to the end, Cinci could clear a five-foot fence from a standstill position, she said. "It was an amazing thing to see," she said.

Something of a celebrity at the sanctuary, Cinci drew countless visitors familiar with her story.

"People from Ohio were always visiting," Bowman said.

Coston thinks she understands why.

"She symbolized the will to live, to enjoy life and not be messed with," Coston said. "We can relate to that."

______________

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... /901100360

Thomas More adopts anti-goose weapon
Tommy keeps away fowl that had been befouling campus
By Deborah Kohl Kremer • Enquirer contributor • January 10, 2009

CRESTVIEW HILLS - From homeless shelter to college campus, sometimes one small break can change a life.

That is the story of Tommy, who once faced a bleak future and now has a home, and who is gainfully employed and has access to higher education. All he has to do in return is chase geese.

Tommy, a border collie/corgi mix, is the newest member of Thomas More College's security team. When faced with too many Canada geese on the Crestview Hills campus, TMC administrators explored the possibility of using a dog to control them.

They found Tommy, short for Thomas More, at an animal rescue facility about a year and a half ago and trained him for his new job.

The results have been beneficial for all.

"We needed a humane way to traffic these geese. They had become a nuisance on our campus as well as on Thomas More Parkway," said Matthew Weber, vice president for student services. "Tommy has definitely helped alleviate the problem."

According to campus security director Robert Marshall, the geese, which are attracted to the large lakes on campus, had made themselves at home and always left a mess behind.

"Tommy knows what to do. He keeps the geese in the lake area, where we want them to be," he said. "He will chase them right into the water, if necessary. He doesn't even hesitate."

Something of a celebrity, Tommy lives on campus and, when not herding geese, makes the rounds with security guards. He is smothered with attention from students and staff.

"The students love him and have made him into a mascot, taking him to football games and events," said Marshall. "Everyone has just really taken to him."

___________________

Feel free to post your own animal stories!

[Stephanie]

Those were great stories!

[Miss Mary]

They were weren't they Steph! I about cried reading how the other cows were so protective of Cinci. I well remember when she was on the loose, there were daily updates on the news, sightings, near captures, etc. It all just makes me never want to eat beef, ever again! And I eat so little as it is.......it was very touching to read how the other cows reacted to her plight, being paralyzed, how she crawed away from the Vet.

I think humans could learn from animals.

The cute dog story was another good story from my paper today. Didn't expect to read 2 in one morning! If you click on that link you can see a picture of Tommy. Our paper didn't include a picture of Tommy! If I had written that article, I would have included a pic. But online versions are becoming more extensive than print versions!

[Stephanie]

I remember the story about Cinci as well and I love how protective the rest of the herd was to her. I'm sure that they sensed that she was ill. I know that elephants are protective of their herd and mourn the loss of a member.

[somethingfunny]

Speaking of elephants...I've got one for you:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4696315n

(CBS) When elephants retire, many head for the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. They arrive one by one, but they tend to live out their lives two-by-two.

"Every elephant that comes here searches out someone that she then spends most all of her time with," says sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley.

It's like having a best girlfriend, Buckley says - "Somebody they can relate to, they have something in common with."

Debbie has Ronnie. Misty can't live without Dulary.

Those are pachyderm-pachyderm pairs. But perhaps the closest friends of all are Tarra and Bella.

That would be Tarra the 8,700 pound Asian elephant. And Bella. The dog.

"This is her friend," Buckley says, scratching Bella's tummy. "Her friend just happens to be a dog and not an elephant."

"Bella knows she's not an elephant. Tarra knows she's not a dog," Buckley adds. "But that's not a problem for them."

Bella is one of more than a dozen stray dogs that have found a home at the sanctuary. Most want nothing to do with the elephants and vice versa. But not this odd couple.

"When it's time to eat they both eat together. They drink together. They sleep together. They play together," Buckley says.

Tarra and Bella have been close for years -- but no one really knew how close they were until recently. A few months ago Bella suffered a spinal cord injury. She couldn't move her legs, couldn't even wag her tail. For three weeks the dog lay motionless up in the sanctuary office.

And for three weeks the elephant held vigil: 2,700 acres to roam free, and Tarra just stood in the corner, beside a gate, right outside that sanctuary office.

"She just stood outside the balcony - just stood there and waited," says Buckley. "She was concerned about her friend."

Then one day, sanctuary co-founder Scott Blais carried Bella onto the balcony so she and Tarra could at least see each other.

"Bella's tail started wagging. And we had no choice but bring Bella down to see Tarra," Blais says.

They visited like that every day until Tarra could walk. Today, their love -- and trust -- is stronger than ever. Bella even lets Tarra pet her tummy - with the bottom of her enormous foot.

They harbor no fears, no secrets, no prejudices. Just two living creatures who somehow managed to look past their immense differences.

Take good look at this couple, America. Take a good look world. If they can do it - what's our excuse?

There you go....very cute.


As for the cow's story, that sounds more like PR for People Eating Tasty Animals, or a freak genetic mutation that causes a cow to sense impending doom, leap over a 5-foot fence, and then try to save the others. All they need now is a flying machine like in "Chicken Run"!

[Miss Mary]

What a touching story! I hadn't read that one until now. Thank you for sharing it!

Humans can learn a lot from animals - I rest my case!

[somethingfunny]

It really is pretty amazing to see a dog trusting an elephant to rub her belly with that enormous foot.

[sunny]

Tara and Bella's story is so touching.