Page 18 - All About History - Issue 26-15

Animals & Man

Hall of Fame WILLIE

ANIMALHEROES UNITED Willie was awarded

STATES
an Animal Lifesaver
2007-PRESEN
Award by the local
Quaker parro
Red Cross
are small bir
but good tal
A parade of (mostly) feathered and furry friends In 2008, a p
Quaker nam
who went far beyond being companions by saving sounded the
a two-year-o
lives or having a significant impact upon our world on food in D
Megan How
SIMON house, but c
created a f
HONG KONG 1947-49 The only repeatin
During the Chinese civil war in 1949, HMS cat to receive –even
Amethyst came under siege during what became the Dickin Medal, Willie
known as the Yangtze Incident. A cat, found at Simon’s story became clear
Hong Kong docks and smuggled aboard by a creditedWillieastherealhero.
sailor, took on the crucial role of dealing with an widely known, earning
on-board rat infestation to protect the ship’s food him the honour of an Ningnong
supply. When the Amethyst was hit by a cannon obituary in Time THAILAND 2000-PRESENT
shell, Simon, as he was known, suffered injuries
to his back and leg. Despite that, he continued magazine Tragedy engulfed Phuket when the 2004
‘Able Seacat tsunami struck, yet there were tales of
to tackle the rats keeping morale high among
Simon’ as he was miraculous survival. One involved then eight-
known to the
ship’s crew year-old Amber Mason, on holiday from England.
On that fateful morning, she was riding on
Ningnong’s back when the elephant surprised its
Pelorus Jack handler, suddenly bolting up the beach to higher
ground. Seconds later, the first wave struck.
NEW ZEALAND WATERS
UNKNOWN-1912 Ningnong stood firm against the rushing water.
A Risso’s dolphin known A law protecting Amber’s mother, still at breakfast, quickly left the
as Pelorus Jack escorted Pelorus Jack was hotel to find her daughter. They were safely back
passed in 1904 in their first floor room when the second wave
boats sailing from
struck, yet Amber’s mother is certain Amber
Nelson to French Pass, a narrow stretch of treacherous water
would have been lost save for Ningnong.
between D’Urville Island and the northern tip of South
Island. He enjoyed riding bow waves, acting as a kind of
pilot by reassuring seafarers they were on a safe course.
First spotted in 1888, his celebrity grew and writers such
as Mark Twain came to observe him before he passed
away, probably of
old age.
Washoe learned
about 350 words in
sign language
WASHO

USA 1965-2007
Acquired from
potentially to aid the space programme, Washoe
was adopted by doctors Allen and Beatrix
Gardner for their research. They raised her
at home as if she were a deaf human child.
As such, Washoe was the first non-human to
learn a human language, that of American Sign
Ningnong back
Language. She became an important matriarchal on Phuket
figure for others of her kind at the Chimpanzee beach in 2005
and Human Communication Institute.

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