Elephants Saved Tourists from Tsunami

[rainbow4321]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=8&u=/nm/20050103/od_nm/quake_thailand_elephants_dc


KHAO LAK, Thailand (Reuters) - Agitated elephants felt the tsunami coming, and their sensitivity saved about a dozen foreign tourists from the fate of thousands killed by the giant waves.

The elephants started trumpeting -- in a way Dang, 36, and his wife Kulada, 24, said could only be described as crying -- at first light, about the time an earthquake measured at a magnitude of 9.0 cracked open the sea bed off Indonesia's Sumatra island. The elephants soon calmed down. But they started wailing again about an hour later and this time they could not be comforted despite their mahouts' attempts at reassurance.

Those with tourists aboard headed for the jungle-clad hill behind the resort beach where at least 3,800 people, more than half of them foreigners, would soon be killed. The elephants that were not working broke their hefty chains.

The mahouts managed to turn the elephants to lift the tourists onto their backs," Kulada said. She used her hands to describe how the huge beasts used their trunks to pluck the foreigners from the ground and deposit them on their backs.

[villager]

1. my God, Twain was right -- they really are "the higher animals..."

n/t

[democracyindanger]

2. That's fuckin' cool nt

[Kool Kitty]

3. Amazing creatures, aren't they?

Maybe we should start paying more attention to animals, instead of killing them.

[Be Brave]

4. I've heard that elephants are supposed to be intelligent.

They mourn their dead, and they are able to communicate over large distances through some form of ultrasound. That's a great story.

[rainbow4321]

6. Wish the same could be said for the cows over there...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=731&e=10&u=/ap/20050104/ap_on_re_as/tsunami_aid_plane_cows

Aid Flight Delayed After Plane Hits Cow

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - A Boeing 737 carrying aid for Tsunami victims hit a herd of cows as it landed early Tuesday in Indonesia's devastated Aceh province, forcing the airport to close and delaying relief flights, officials said.

There were no injuries among the four crewmen aboard or anybody on the ground in the 1 a.m. accident, which forced the plane partly off the runway.

Officials closed the airport until they can get heavy equipment to tow the cargo plane. They predicted flights would be delayed until Tuesday evening.

"The plane landed and then it hit herd a cows," said Adri Gunawan, head of air traffic control at the Banda Aceh airport. "We've immediately closed the airport. For the rest of the day, aid flights will be prevented from flying here."

[Be Brave]

8. Aaaay! Poor cows!

Sacred in India, roam the streets freely.

[Liberty Belle]

5. I saw on TV that elephants are being used to clear debris, too.

In the absence of heavy equipment, the pachyderms are filling the bill.

[solinvictus]

7. I love elephants..

truly I do.

[aquart]

9. Elephants are and have always been deserving of love.

Bless the elephants. They saved more than themselves.

[imenja]

10. Me too

they are wonderful animals.

[daleo]

11. When Elephants Weep

Good book for those of us who like elephants. It is about animal consciousness in general, and is quite and eye opener.

[Be Brave]

12. I've heard of that book. I should remember to read it soon! Thanks! n/t

[porkrind]

14. Me too.

Elephants have always been one of my favorite animals. This story is great.

[donheld]

13. If only * was 1/3 as bright as the dumbest Elephant

we'd be in much better shape.

[Cuban_Liberal]

15. Elephants are noble creatures, well deserving of our respect.

This doesn't surprise me at all.

[Shopaholic]

16. This is such an amazing story-but not surprising-

elephants are highly intelligent.

[leesa]

17. And yet we slaughter them and imprison them for life in cages.