Lions Saved African Girl From Abductors

[Terri Benning]

Lions Saved African Girl From Abductors

June 2005. Ethiopia. A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said

She had been guarded by the lions for about half a day. "They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest. If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it could have been much worse," Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo said.

Stuart Williams, a wildlife expert said the girl may have survived 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 didn't eat her, " Williams said.  The United Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction, practiced in rural areas.