Animal Heroes

by Ben Holt

  ◦ Bobby the antelope of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

  ◦ Two ferrets named Imphal and Quebec, of the 1st Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment.

  ◦ Honourable Regimental Sergeant Major Nils Olav – this King penguin, who lives at Edinburgh Zoo, was bestowed the honourable title by the Royal Norwegian Guard.

  ◦ Jane the cow, who provided Devonshire milk and cream to soldiers during World War One.

  ◦ Timothy, a tortoise that lived to be 165 and served as mascot aboard the HMS Queen and Princess Charlotte.

  SMOKE

  US Marines stationed in Iraq made a new battle buddy when a donkey wandered out of the desert and into their lives…

  In July 2008, US marines were stationed in the Al Anbar province, Iraq, involved in the ongoing Operation Iraqi Freedom. Camp Al Taqaddum, an old Iraqi airbase not far from Fallujah, was on a barren plateau, set against a backdrop of inhospitable desert, and for many US troops it was their first taste of Iraq, with new deployments regularly landing on the dusty desert runway.

  Colonel John Folsom had been sent there to take over as camp commandant. One day his commanding general showed him a video on YouTube, taken from a security camera at a Marine Corps base of a group of marines and soldiers in a mad chase, struggling to round up a wild donkey that had got into their camp. Folsom thought the video was hilarious and mentioned in passing to Sergeant Juan Garcia that they should try to capture their own desert donkey should one ever come their way.

  One morning a few days later, Folsom woke to a loud hee-hawing sound near his window. He went outside and, sure enough, Garcia had taken him at his word and captured a donkey he had spotted wandering around the camp – which was now tied to a tree, looking rather thin and hungry. In the dry and searing temperatures of the desert there wasn’t much grass to be found, and so the soldiers fed the donkey granola bars until some hay could be sourced. They christened the animal Smoke and it was to be the start of a longstanding friendship. ‘He was a battle buddy if you want to call him that. You know he did a lot of good for us morale wise,’ explained Folsom, who began to go on daily walks with Smoke and had a coral built for the donkey.

  Strictly speaking, the marines weren’t allowed to keep pets, but after a navy captain who was a psychiatrist picked up on the value of Smoke as a ‘therapy animal’ he gained official status and was assigned to the ‘combat stress’ department. Soon marines were sending pictures of Smoke to their families, giving children back home something positive to talk about with their much-missed dads.

  At the end of Colonel Folsom’s deployment, before journeying back to the US, he arranged for the replacement marines, of Camp Lejune, North Carolina, to continue to look after Smoke in his absence. But when the Campe Lejune marines in turn moved on they left him in the care of a local sheikh, and Folsom later discovered that Smoke was not being cared for properly and was wandering loose around the village.

  By now Folsom had formulated a plan for Smoke – if he could get him back to the US he would not only have a loving and safe home, he could also perform an important role as a therapy animal for returning wounded soldiers. But first he had to negotiate with the sheikh for Smoke’s return to the marines, and then jump through the various bureaucratic hoops set by customs, agriculture and airline officials. He enlisted the help of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), who helped him to successfully arrange for the transport of Smoke from Iraq via Turkey to the US.

  People around the world had begun to follow Smoke’s story online through the SPCA’s website, so he was already famous by the time he arrived at his new home in Omaha, Nebraska, where he would continue to bring smiles to the faces of many soldiers and marines working as a therapy animal with the Wounded Warriors Family Support initiative, founded by Folsom.

  JACKIE

  Jackie was a beloved family pet that never left his master’s side, even when it meant following him to war…

  In August 1915, Albert Marr from Villieria, on the outskirts of Pretoria, South Africa, enlisted for service with the 3rd (Transvaal) Regiment of the 1st South African Infantry Brigade. He also brought with him his treasured companion Jackie – a baboon. Although it was somewhat irregular for pets to join their owners on the battlefield, for some reason the army decided to make an exception and approve Albert’s request to bring him along. The other soldiers were very impressed by the baboon’s excellent behaviour and it wasn’t long before he was made the official mascot of the regiment. Once the troops arrived in England he was kitted out with a uniform, including a cap, buttons and regimental badges.

  Early in 1916, the 1st SAI Brigade was dispatched to Egypt to take part in the Senussi Campaign. The aim was to push back the Senussi tribe which, under the influence of Germany’s ally Turkey, had flooded into the country. At the Battle of Agagia on 26 February, Albert took an enemy bullet in the shoulder. A very distressed Jackie stayed at his master’s side, doing what he could to comfort Albert and licking his wound until the stretcher-bearers arrived. After this touching incident, the other soldiers began to view the baboon as a comrade, and he was involved in all parts of military life: he participated in drills and marches, entertained the men with his antics and with his keen eyesight and acute hearing he excelled at night-watch duties.

  Stationed at the Western Front, Jackie would have been exposed to some of the worst horrors of World War One and did not escape the war unscathed. In April 1918, the company came under heavy shelling during a retreat and Jackie incurred shrapnel injuries on an arm and leg. The leg later had to be amputated.

  When their active service came to an end, Albert and Jackie were much celebrated. As they journeyed home, Jackie proudly sported his military colours: a gold wound stripe and the three blue service chevrons, one for each year of front-line service. He even received official papers and a military pension when he was discharged at Maitland. At the Peace Parade on Church Square, Pretoria, on 31 July 1920, to officially welcome back the 1st SAI Brigade, Jackie was the centre of attention and was awarded the Pretoria Citizens’ Service Medal.

  THE PEOPLE’S DISPENSARY FOR SICK ANIMALS

  A woman with a vision

  The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) was founded by Maria Elisabeth Dickin. When visiting the impoverished in the slums of London’s East End to do social work, she was shocked and horrified more by the plight of the animals – emaciated dogs and cats, farm animals huddled in crowded back yards and overworked horses and ponies. The inspirational woman became determined to raise the status of animals in society and improve the standard of their care. By November 1917 she had opened her first People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals of the Poor, in Whitechapel. Outside a notice read: ‘Bring your sick animals. Do not let them suffer. All animals treated. All treatment free.’

  Within six years she had a fleet of horse-drawn mobile clinics treating animals throughout the country, and by 1935 Maria had established five PDSA hospitals, 71 dispensaries and 11 motor caravan dispensaries, as well as others abroad in Egypt and Greece, and later South Africa and Palestine. Today, the PDSA continues to ensure that sick and injured pets of those unable to afford private veterinary fees can still receive free treatment.

  ‘Today we are all thinking about what each of us can do towards making the world a better place for every man, woman and child to live in. We must not forget to include the animals in our programme, they too must have a better world to live in.’

  Maria Dickin

  Did you know…

  … that when the first PDSA dispensary opened in London the local poor people were initially suspicious because it was labelled as ‘free’? Once they had overcome their fear, police had to be called in to control the crowds as hundreds flocked to the doors with their sick animals.

  We also serve

  During World War Two, Maria Dickin CBE was aware of the incredible bravery displayed by animals on active service and the Home Front. Inspired by their devotion to man and duty, she crea
ted the Dickin Medal specifically to honour animals in war. The large bronze medallion bears the words ‘For Gallantry’ and ‘WE ALSO SERVE’ within a laurel wreath, and hangs from a ribbon striped green, dark brown and pale blue representing the naval, land and air forces.

  ‘The medal is recognised throughout the world as the animals’ Victoria Cross and is the highest award any animal can receive for bravery in the line of duty.’

  Marilyn Rydström, director general of PDSA

  ANIMALS TO THE RESCUE!

  Animals have rescued humans from dangerous situations in a surprising number of ways, whether by pushing them out of reach of a fire, pulling them to safety, providing essential warmth and sustenance to someone exposed to the elements or even calling the emergency services. Many of the stories in this chapter feature heart-warming human-animal friendships that have resulted in the animal saving the human’s life; with others, the animal just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

  JEUNE MARK

  When the Black Saturday bushfires swept across Australia’s Victoria state, the death toll reached 173 – and Anthony Sexton very narrowly missed being the 174th…

  On and around Saturday 7 February 2009, fires raged across the state of Victoria, resulting in Australia’s highest ever loss from bushfires – 173 people died and 414 were injured. Preceding the fires came some of the worst weather conditions ever recorded, with temperatures soaring well into the forties. This intense heatwave, combined with nearly two months of little or no rain and wind speeds of more than 62 mph, meant the fires quickly spread over large areas. As many as 400 separate fires were recorded, and the events of that day and its aftermath came to be known as Black Saturday.

  During the bushfires, Anthony Sexton thought he was safe in his 130-year-old farmhouse in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges. He could see the fire decimating the bushland behind his house, but it seemed to him that the flames were not set to come in his direction. After a sudden drop in temperature, smoke billowed towards the house and Andrew finally accepted it was time to leave.

  He led his horse Jeune Mark (the son of 1994 Melbourne Cup winner, Jeune) some distance down the road before the path was blocked by a wall of flames. Thinking they might be able to race back the other way, he turned, only to see the fire pouring down the hill to surround them. Andrew was already thinking to himself: ‘This is where I’m going to die.’

  But Jeune Mark had other ideas. The horse swiftly nudged Mr Sexton over a barrier rail, sending him rolling down into Traralgon Creek. There he lay for two hours, as the inferno raged, and he could do nothing but listen to the terrifying sounds of trees exploding in the heat of the fire and the wind roaring above.

  When the flames had subsided and he judged it was safe for him to emerge, Andrew found everything around him had been razed to the ground. His thoughts turned immediately to Jeune Mark and the fact that he must surely now be dead. And yet the horse had survived and was there to meet Andrew when he returned to his house, which was still alight. Courageous Jeune Mark must have had to race through scorching flames and choking smoke to reach his home, but miraculously, other than some burns around his eyes and nose, he had somehow made it through unharmed. Andrew had lost his home to the bushfire, but he was thankful that he hadn’t lost his dearest friend.

  A close call

  In southern China, a 36-year-old man named Fu Min slipped while trying to take a photograph at a race and fell into the path of the oncoming riderless horses. He was on the verge of being trampled when one of the steeds grabbed his arm with its mouth and dragged him out of harm’s way.

  SHANA

  A German shepherd-wolf mix came to the rescue when its owners were trapped after a violent storm…

  Eve and Norman Fertig ran the Enchanted Forest Wildlife Sanctuary in Alden, New York, and cared for many different types of animals there, usually around a dozen at any one time. Eve also taught adults to be wildlife rehabilitators. The couple, who were in their eighties, did their work voluntarily, paying for their own teaching licences and for the upkeep of the animals out of their social security cheques. One such animal they rescued was a sick, two-week-old half-wolf, half-German-shepherd puppy, Shana. Almost seven years later Shana was fully grown, and the loyal dog still followed her owners around wherever they went.

  On 12 October 2006 it was a clear evening, and the Fertigs were out feeding and exercising the animals in the forest sanctuary on their property, as was their regular routine. But at around 7 p.m. an unexpected storm set in, causing a power cut in the Fertigs’ house. When they saw the lights go out they realised things were bad: they went to investigate and a huge tree came crashing down across their path. More trees had fallen, effectively trapping the elderly couple between the aviary and the hospital building of the sanctuary, and now snow was falling. Soon it would begin piling up into drifts around them.

  ‘I think we could die out here,’ Eve said to her husband. There was no way the elderly couple could climb over the trees, for fear of injuring themselves, and as it had been a clear day just hours earlier neither of them were wearing warm outdoor clothes. They huddled together for warmth, but by now it was 9.30 p.m. and temperatures had plummeted.

  Help was to come, however, from an unexpected source, when Shana’s friendly face greeted the Fertigs. The 160-pound dog had dug a path through the snow and beneath the fallen trees to find her owners. She looked at them and barked, as if telling them to follow her back down the mineshaft-like tunnel. At first Norman was reluctant – he wasn’t too fond of enclosed spaces after some unpleasant experiences in a foxhole in Japan during World War Two. But Eve was quite forceful about the matter: ‘Norman, if you do not follow me, I will get a divorce.’ Evidently horrified by the thought, Norman agreed.

  Shana disappeared back down the tunnel until around 11.30 p.m. – presumably during this time she was extending the tunnel as far back as the door of the house. When she came back she grabbed the sleeve of Eve’s jacket, draped the 86-pound woman over her back and began to move through the tunnel. Norman grabbed hold of Eve’s legs and followed. They made their way slowly down the tunnel, underneath fallen trees and through an opening in the fence to arrive at the house at around 2 a.m. Exhausted, the couple fell through the door and just lay there on the floor, the dog lying on top of them both to keep them warm – as there was no electricity or heat in the house they most likely would have frozen without her.

  When concerned neighbours hadn’t been able to contact the couple on the phone that night they had called the Town Line Fire Department, and the fire fighters arrived the next morning. They offered to take the Fertigs down to the fire station to shelter along with around a hundred others stranded by the storm, but when they were told they couldn’t bring Shana they refused to leave their home. Instead, they sat it out for three days until the station emptied of people and they could go there with their pet. The fire fighters worked at clearing the trees from the grounds, and brought food and water for the couple and their animals. Once again, Shana provided a vital source of warmth for the couple during this time, when there was no electricity, heating or hot water in their home. ‘She kept us alive. She really did,’ Eve said.

  At the fire station, Shana was spoilt rotten by the fire fighters, who had never seen anything like the tunnel she had built. Shana’s story gave the exhausted fire crews hope and helped boost their morale during the gruelling work in the aftermath of the storm. Shana was later to receive the Citizens for Humane Animal Treatment’s (CHAT) Hero’s Award for bravery, which is usually only given to humans. The plaque, complete with Shana’s picture, hangs in pride of place in the Fertigs’ living room.

  COW 569

  A New Zealand dairy farmer found herself an unusual life ring when floods swept through her farm…

  The area north of Wellington, New Zealand, was affected badly when floods hit the country in 2004. A burst of cold air blowing in from the Antarctic ice shelf combined with moist air from a weak trop
ical low in the north, producing wind and rain on a scale seen only about once every ten years, with wind speeds peaking at 104 mph. Hundreds of North Islanders were forced to evacuate their homes and insurers estimated the cost of damage at £40 million.

  Kim Riley, 43, was out early in the morning on her dairy farm in Woodville, trying to head off half her herd, which were moving in the direction of the floodwaters, when she was swept away by the current herself. Weighed down by her wet-weather gear, she struggled in the torrent, as assorted debris floated past her and panicked members of the herd swam over her at speed. She received a few hefty kicks as they passed.

  ‘I drank a fair bit of water and it was foul muck. There was lots of flotsam around and weeds get tangled up in your arms: it was quite exhausting,’ she later told reporters. Desperate, she reached out to clutch at anything she could – a tree, the top of a fence – but missed both as the current carried her ever onwards. She was terrified she would be swept out along with the floodwaters into the river itself, and then she would have no hope of surviving.

  Luckily for Kim, serendipity threw her a life ring – in the form of a floating Friesian. Looking back she saw one of the last of the herd bearing down on her. This time, instead of trying to avoid the beast, she threw her arm over its neck and grabbed on tight to its mane. The warmth of its body was reassuring and her panic began to subside. ‘Take me on home,’ she said to the cow.

  When the pair finally reached solid ground they both slumped, catching their breath and trembling. There was more good news to come – most of the herd had been saved, having managed to gather on higher ground. Only 15 of her 350-strong herd had been lost to the flood, and Cow 569, her saviour, was due some special attention and recognition, as straight-talking Kim unsentimentally put it: ‘She’s an old cow, an ugly old tart, but I’ll have to say “thank you” to her.’