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Feelgood Stories - Animal Related Only

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Sister Dot View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sister Dot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Sep 2021 at 7:10pm
Lost by a cats whisker Wink
“Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, or beauty without vanity? Here where grace is laced with muscle and strength by gentleness confined”
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Sep 2021 at 3:48pm

It all began a while ago, as Thamana, like Lemeki, has been raised at our Neonate Nursery in Kaluku, the SWT Field headquarters in Tsavo.

On the morning of 21st November 2018, during a patrol of the Voi River Circuit in Tsavo East National Park, KWS rangers spotted something in the middle of a drying waterhole. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that it was a tiny baby elephant, less than a month old. This is a scenario we have seen many times before: No doubt the calfs family tried desperately to extract him, but when it became clear that he was hopelessly stuck, they were forced to make the heartbreaking decision to leave him behind and move on in the interest of the herd. He had obviously been stuck for a good long time and was fortunate to have survived the night. There was evidence of predator spoor, but they too were probably hampered by the mud.

The rangers rolled up their trousers and plodded through the sticky mud to pull the calf out, before placing him in the back of their security Land Cruiser. The rescue unfolded not terribly far from our Voi Reintegration Unit, so they drove him there while a full rescue was coordinated. This little elephant was a fraction of the size of the orphans he is used to looking after, but Voi Head Keeper, Joseph Sauni, knew exactly what to do. He never left the babys side, placing him in a stockade before washing him down, keeping him hydrated and warm with comforting companionship, until such time as he could be whisked away to our Neonate Nursery for the specialist attention he would need. We named the calf Thamana, which in the Swahili language means something of value and worth.

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Within an hour, our helicopter landed at Voi to take Thamana on the next phase of his journey. Given his extremely vulnerable age and circumstances, we brought him to our Kaluku Neonate Nursery, which is tailored to our most vulnerable rescues. With a rescue so young, the first months are often very fraught, but thankfully in the company of his keepers, and orphan elephant Lemeki, Thamana thrived from the outset. He did not experience the peaks and troughs that plague so many tiny milk dependent baby elephants, and instead blazed through his infancy in exceedingly good health and high spirits. His age was probably an asset in this regard, as he was too young to properly remember his family. We can count the miracle babies who sailed through without a glitch on one hand, but this buoyant little bull is certainly among their ranks.

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Thamana never seemed to notice Lemekis aloof manner which is a testament to his perennially sunny personality. Lemekis antics suited Thamana, and it made for an action packed time keeping up with her. In fact, he didnt even seem to think that she was anything but devoted to him! In time, the duo was joined by more orphaned elephants, and he now has a wonderful friend group at Kaluku. Thamana is an elephant who gives his heart fully to those he loves, so it was not entirely surprising that he became so hooked on Joseph, who had just become an elephant Keeper at the time of his rescue. He immediately became Josephs shadow and, over the years, a beautiful friendship has emerged.

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Thamana is a courageous, fun bull who never skipped a beat, despite all the hurdles life threw at him. He is a picture of health and happiness, with his perfectly plump belly and jovial expression. As a Tsavo elephant by birth, he will reclaim his place back in the wild of Kenyas largest National Park. In the meantime, however, his days are filled with fun and games as he grows up alongside his human-elephant family.

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Edited by Gay3 - 08 Sep 2021 at 4:36pm
animals before people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GAJ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Sep 2021 at 3:57pm
How lovely, pretty good at holding the bottle too. I love Elephants.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Sep 2021 at 4:12pm
I get the newsletters each month as I adopted one of the babies at the Nairobi orphanage .  I live in hope of going back to see her when she moves to the re-intergration unit in Tsavo .
animals before people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Sep 2021 at 5:11pm
animals before people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GAJ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Sep 2021 at 5:31pm
Originally posted by acacia alba acacia alba wrote:

I get the newsletters each month as I adopted one of the babies at the Nairobi orphanage .  I live in hope of going back to see her when she moves to the re-intergration unit in Tsavo .

That would be wonderful.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote furious Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Sep 2021 at 6:11pm
Lovely photos

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sister Dot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Sep 2021 at 10:02pm
So enjoyed that story AA, those people are saints Clap
“Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, or beauty without vanity? Here where grace is laced with muscle and strength by gentleness confined”
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hello Sunshine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2021 at 11:23am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote furious Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2021 at 2:43pm
I wouldn't call him angry just a bit frustrated he had to stand still.  The rider was brilliant at not getting upset with him.  Some lovely horses in the bunch.  I presume spanish?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2021 at 2:44pm
The rider did a top job with him.
Remember the white horse that played up in Harry and Meg,s wedding procession ?LOL
animals before people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maccamax Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2021 at 3:36pm
That Horse at the wedding was giving Harry some good advice .

     Harry didn't listen.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hello Sunshine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2021 at 9:18pm
How to do it, although I think the spurs were "tickling'...

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hello Sunshine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2021 at 9:38pm
Get your horse riding fix.
Very patient rider on a gelatity horse.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hello Sunshine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2021 at 9:48pm
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Serious horsemanship.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2021 at 12:29pm

Delivering a foal can be stressful at the best of times, but the staff at Leneva Park Stud in Victoria had to negotiate the arrival of their new addition with the extra added pressure of an earthquake striking moments before the birth.

The colt foal, out of mare Duble Take by Group 2-winning juvenile Strasbourg, was delivered at the stud's breeding farm in Gooram minutes after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the state in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The epicentre was in nearby Mansfield  just 45 miles away from Leneva Park and over 100 miles from Melbourne.

The stud's general manager Mick Sharkie told Racing.com: "I was on the road up here because weve got vetting today and it was all hectic. Ive turned up and one of our team waved me down."

"You wouldnt expect her to foal in the day, so she was just in the 'ready to go in the next few days' paddock and standing there normally. Then the earthquake happened and hes wandered back around and shes lying on the ground having the foal."

The foal's birth took the stud's staff by so much shock that Duble Take had not entered the foaling yard for impending births and luckily, the naming process of the colt should not take up much time either following the dramatic event.

"You wouldnt think that would bring her on so whether it was coincidence or what, we got a horse born within minutes of an earthquake," Sharkie added. "Hell be getting an earthquake related name for sure.

"Hes actually already cruising around the paddock like nothing happened, were all talking about him and hes got no idea."

animals before people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Hello Sunshine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Nov 2021 at 8:40pm
Man look at the feet!
Under run heels....Big smile
etc
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hello Sunshine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2022 at 11:56am

When a mother's love is stronger than predatory instincts: Astonishing moment lioness 'shows love' for wildebeest calf and leads it back to its herd

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TJMitchell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2022 at 12:10pm
I love animal videos like that!
Time is a flat circle
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote furious Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2022 at 1:43pm
That was one confused baby.  Hope it doesn't see all lions as friends.
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That huge horse above is unbelievable. 
Refer ALP Election Promises
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2022 at 8:20pm

Stories of survival emerge from Gympie floods as horses tread water for hours
Copy/paste  https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-01-11/tansey-flood-sees-cattle-horse losses/100748894

Horse owners and farmers are counting their losses and celebrating tales of survival after the Gympie region was inundated with up to 650 millimetres of rain over the weekend.

"It's just come down in such a hurry that no-one was prepared for it," Tansey resident Julie Cunningham said.

"There's lots of losses everywhere in the district it's devastating."

Ms Cunningham, who is the secretary of the Tansey Show Society, said it had been a horrific few days with many horses stranded at the showgrounds.

Amongst the heartache, there are some good news stories including a stallion that survived against all odds.

"The polo fella, he got three of these mares on his truck Friday evening, and by the time he went to go back to get the others he couldn't find some of them," Ms Cunningham said.

"He spent the night over in one of the yards trying to save the stallion. He thought he'd lost him."

Rescued on Saturday morning, the man thought he had lost everything until the stallion was found in the yard still alive.

"He'd (the stallion) been treading water for probably 10 hours and quite well you know, he was still in good spirits that horse and doing well," Ms Cunningham said.

But the excitement was bittersweet with many people losing horses in the weather event.

"They're not only your best mate, they are your family, so when you lose one it is heart-wrenching."

Orphaned colt finds new home

Community spirit has been a common thread running through many incredible stories of survival in Tansey.

Emma Hafey, of Jaylan Downs Australian Stock Horse Stud, was reunited with a broodmare after people swum with it to the showgrounds.

"We had some friends in the community that actually swum up to chest height [in water] to save her and get her off the verandah and bring it back home," she said.

Many horses were found on Saturday morning after treading water all night.


Ms Hafey has placed the young horse with her broodmare.One colt was found downstream in the river with no traces of its mother or owner.

"We're hoping that she'll accept him and be his mum now," she said.

"They've gone through a lot and for some of them, they've come out very good on the other end."

Cattle swept 10km away

Despite everything they have been through, the Hafey and Cunningham families have helped return lost cattle to Alex and Robyn Barsby.

The Barsbys, who run a cattle property at Tansey, were shocked to receive 406mm of rain in just a few hours.

"We had about 120 head, that's cows and weaner calves missing, but we've got quite a few cows back but not a lot of calves," Ms Barsby said.

It was only with the morning light that the couple realised just how much water had inundated their property.

"Just absolutely astronomical. My husband was saying that when he went down the flat there at one stage there were waves six foot high of the rush of the water."

Some of their cattle have been found alive seven to 10 kilometres downstream.

"We've got a couple in the yard. One's got pneumonia and one's got a cooked shoulder but most of them are pretty good," Ms Barsby said.

"Cattle are amazing. They get in the floodwater and they just drift you know, so luckily they haven't been caught up in fences or caught up in trees."

For Ms Barsby the silver lining has been seeing the community band together in the recovery effort.

She said people travelling from Brisbane meant a lot to her.

"It happens all the time with floods and fires, everybody just gets together, it's the Aussie spirit."

Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maccamax Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2022 at 10:52pm
Originally posted by GAJ GAJ wrote:

How lovely, pretty good at holding the bottle too. I love Elephants.

    Me too , They are something special ...

     I did carry it a bit far though GAJ.

        I married Two.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jan 2022 at 10:56am
animals before people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote oneonesit Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jan 2022 at 10:28pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jan 2022 at 11:27am
Thats one big cat !  I have a ginger boy who is 9kgs and thats big enough.  But look at that dude,s ears LOL
animals before people.
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