A Little Girl Was Reportedly Saved From Kidnapping And Rape By Three Lions

ADDIS ABABA, 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.

The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by seven men who wanted to force her to marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo, speaking by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of Addis Ababa.

She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June 9 by police and relatives on the outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been guarded by the lions for about half a day, he said.

The huge beasts were distressed when they saw the girl being beaten and assaulted, so they charged at the men and lured her away from them so that she could rest under their protection.

“They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest,” Wondimu said.

“If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it could have been much worse. Often these young girls are raped and severely beaten to force them to accept the marriage,” he said.

We’re just happy that they were there to protect this poor girl. As of the last report, four of the seven men involved in this heinous crime have been arrested. If only these wonderful lions could watch out for the other girls who meet this awful fate every day.