The Dog Train, which Eugene Bostick built himself, made the retired Union Pacific railroad employee and his pups viral superstars. After a video appeared on BuzzFeed, Bostick and his dog train attracted thousands of views and calls from all over the country.
EUGENE BOSTIC WITH HIS DOG TRAIN AND PASSENGERS
Some might say that the late Eugene Bostick’s most memorable job began long after he retired. His golden years saw him take on quite a unique role—that of a train conductor for rescued stray dogs. However, the Fort Worth, Texas, native never expected his life to take such an unorthodox turn. It was the heartlessness of others that forced him to take on the duty of helping needy pets as he couldn’t bear to see abandoned dogs being left to starve on the streets.
ALL ABOARD
“We live down on a dead-end street, where me and my brother have a horse barn. People sometimes come by and dump dogs out here, leaving them to starve,” Bostick told The Dodo . “So, we started feeding them, letting them in, taking them to the vet to get them spayed and neutered. We made a place for them to live.” He has taken in countless abandoned dogs over the years and even gone one step further in caring for them. Apart from feeding them and giving them a safe home, the retiree also thought it would nice to be able to take them on little trips with him and show them the sights.
TRAVELLING THROUGH BEAUTIFUL SCENERY
And that’s how the idea for a dog-train was born. “One day I was out and I seen this guy with a tractor who attached these carts to pull rocks. I thought, ‘Dang, that would do for a dog train,'” he revealed. “I’m a pretty good welder, so I took these plastic barrels with holes cut in them, and put wheels under them and tied them together.” With his special doggy train ready to embark on little adventures, Bostick began taking the nine dogs in his care around town once or twice a week.
Residents would often spot them go puttering down quiet streets or through the forest near their home or stopping by a local creek for some fresh air in the adorable train. And no one loves it more than Bostick’s doggy passengers. “Whenever they hear me hooking the tractor up to it, man, they get so excited,” he said. “They all come running and jump in on their own. They’re ready to go.”
The became became somewhat of a local attraction, stopping for photo requests from the locals became a part of their trip routine. For Eugene, however, nothing beats bringing a bit of joy to a handful of dogs who had been through so much. “I’m getting up in age. I’m 80 now, so I suppose it can’t last too much longer, but I’ll keep it going as long as I can,” he said. “The dogs have a great time. They just really enjoy it.”
John and his dog Schoep floated anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature of the water and how Schoep was feeling.
The unconditional love of a dog is a powerful thing. Just ask John Unger of Bayfield, Wisconsin.
For 19 years, John’s loyal companion had been a Shepherd mix named Schoep. John learned that his dog had severe arthritis and may needed to be put down soon. He was devastated — and also determined to help alleviate Schoep’s pain.
John knew that people suffering from arthritis respond well to water therapy, so he brought his aging dog to one of their favourite spots: Lake Superior. His idea was to take advantage of the lake’s higher-than-average temperatures that summer and let Schoep feel weightless and relaxed. Considering the grim prognosis from the veterinarian, John also called his photographer friend, Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, to see whether she had time to capture a special photo of Schoep just in case.
Hannah met them at the lake for about five minutes and snapped a few shots. A few days later on Aug. 1, she uploaded her favorite image of the man and his dog to Facebook — and an Internet sensation was unleashed.
The photo on her Stonehouse Photography Facebook page had nearly 300,000 likes and 32,000 comments in the first few days. When the photo went viral, John had to adjust to his sudden popularity.
“The first four days I was literally in shock,” he said. He said he spent the first two days reading every single one of the comments on Facebook. Most of them offered words of encouragement for Schoep and admiration for John.
“I would read about five of them and lose it for a good ten minutes and then come back to it,” John said. “To see that this photo has lifted their spirits … that right there lifted mine even higher.”
John has always wanted Schoep to experience everything, so he takes him everywhere he goes. They regularly go on three walks a day.
John actually began floating Schoep in Lake Superior 13 years earlier — but for different reasons. It started because Schoep was a terrible swimmer and didn’t much like the water anyway. It took him several years to be convinced to fetch a ball in the lake, let alone swim in it.
“Whenever he got into the water he wouldn’t swim and would just put his paws on my shoulders and want to be held,” John recalled. “One of these times, all of a sudden, he was asleep. We’ve been doing it periodically since then.”
He stepped up the soaks in the lake after Schoep’s diagnosis. John said he soon saw an improvement in Schoep’s limp, although he didn’t think it would ever go away.
John adopted Schoep as a rescue dog with his then-fiancée nearly 20 years before. Schoep had been abused as a puppy and it took months for him to trust John. But John didn’t give up. He stayed up with him that first night and then many nights after, coaxing him to trust him by sometimes getting on all fours. He said he wanted Schoep “to think of me as another dog and not a man trying to hurt him.”
A year or so after John and his fiancée adopted Schoep, the relationship broke up. The two shared custody of Schoep for a while until she left for graduate school in Colorado, and then it was just the man and his dog.
John said he has fought against depression for a lifetime, and after his relationship ended, he endured some tough years. On one particularly difficult night he took Schoep down to Lake Michigan, their usual evening walking spot back in those days.
“I went out on the breakwater and I was thinking about committing suicide,” he said. “And I was out there for about an hour just thinking about things and it came to the point of me thinking, ‘OK, this is the time.’ And I looked down at Schoep and I don’t know what it was … he had a look like no other time he looked at me. I look back at it now and he knew something was wrong.”
It took that look by Schoep to help bring John back from the brink. “He just snapped me out of that moment … we walked around the rest of the night until dawn.” The next day he thanked Schoep for saving his life.
John broke down and cried as he reflected on how much Schoep has given him, and how he has tried his best to always give him what he could. “I’ve never had a lot of money and especially going through the depression I couldn’t hold a job,” he said, adding, “Schoep has given me his all, no matter what the circumstances, even when I can’t get him the best food.”
After Hannah’s photo made such wide rounds online, strangers began reaching out to help. “A woman from Virginia basically paid for the latest laser therapy on his joints,” he said. “She paid for a full treatment, and I don’t know how much it is, but I know I couldn’t have done that.”
John knew he wanted a dog named “Shep” but borrowed the spelling of “Schoep” from the Wisconsin ice cream brand. Schoep the dog liked strawberry and dark cherry cream but vanilla was his favourite.
Schoep just had his second installment of treatments Wednesday, and has four more to go. John got a surprise when he took Schoep in for his latest appointment. As he walked in, his vet smiled at him. “What’s going on?” John asked. His vet said, “See all the stuff behind me?” John looked, and there were packages of glucosamine, treats and other treatments to help Schoep with joint pain.
John cried as he said, “People from all over are doing this. I can’t believe it. So much has come in already in donations that I don’t have to worry about anything at the vet anymore.”
All of the donors are anonymous. “How do I thank them?” he said. “It’s just such an amazing thing.”
And then in July 2013 there was a different headline
Dog Pictured Floating To Sleep In His Owner’s Arms Has Died
Schoep, the arthritic dog who became an Internet sensation last summer when he was photographed floating peacefully in Lake Superior in his owner’s arms, has passed away.
The 20-year-old dog’s owner, John, announced the death of his best friend on Facebook on that evening.
“I Breathe But I Can’t Catch My Breath…” John wrote “Schoep passed yesterday. More information in the days ahead.”
The bond between Schoep and John captivated tens of thousands of animal lovers when their photo and story began circulating. Then in the July of that year, John feared that he was mere days from needing to put then-19-year-old Schoep down. In anticipation of his loss, he asked a friend to take one last photo of them together.
That friend, photographer Hannah, met them at Lake Superior, where John liked to help Schoep float to take pressure off his arthritic joints. She captured a photo of the two of them in the lake and posted it on her Facebook page.
That image ricocheted around the world and resulted in an outpouring of online donations and support. The help John received allowed him to afford treatments to alleviate his dog’s condition.
John always wanted Schoep to experience everything, so he took him everywhere he went. They regularly took three walks a day.
“As best as I can guess, the treatments turned back the clock on his life about a year-and-a-half to two years,” in September 2012 John said. “I’ve taken him for walks on trails that we haven’t been on in three years. He’s not dragging his back legs like he was before. To be able to do that again with him, words can’t even describe the feeling.”
John posted a happy update about Schoep on Facebook along with a photo of the shepherd mix falling asleep in the sunshine, surrounded by bright yellow flowers:
“A fantastic day we had. Up early to walk and go to the beach, eat, nap, go shopping, eat, laundry, go to the beach, eat, nap and one more walk. All without the humidity, that’s what made it fantastic — especially for Schoep!”
Hannah, the photographer who made Schoep and John famous, posted this on her Facebook page.
“RIP Schoep. He had an amazing life and touched us all. Please keep John in your thoughts.”
And then….
….And then John invited a new dog, named Bear, into his home. He posted the news to his Facebook page on Feb. 24 2015 saying,
“I am whole again…
Ladies and Gentlemen – This Is BEAR!
The journey continues with the addition of Bear into my home, heart, soul and OUR lives! Please give him a Big Hello! Bear is a 1 year old, 70 lb. Akita/Shep/Lab mix. I am a very happy man, and proud to introduce him to you. Please join us as Bear and I learn, grow and help in the days, months and years to come!”
John and Bear
Here’s to John and Bear celebrating their future together!
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Kate Ward’s nickname “Camberley Kate” is said to have been given to her by historian Sir Arthur Bryant in his book “The Lion and the Unicorn”. It became the title by which she became known to everyone.
Kate’s early history is somewhat hazy – When interviewed she stated that she was born in Middlesbrough on June 13th 1895, and remained proud of her Yorkshire roots. Orphaned before she was ten, she was brought up by an aunt in a strict religious atmosphere. As a young girl she went into service, in Yorkshire and eventually found her way to Camberley. In 1943 Kate bought a cottage in Yorktown, and soon afterwards took in her first stray, a dog which had been about to be put down due to lameness.
As word grew, the number of dogs in her cottage increased – some being tied to her door, some left in carrier bags, others brought in by the police or other agencies. At the end of her life she estimated that she had looked after more than 600 dogs and local vet Geoffrey Craddock, a great admirer of Kate work testified that they were well looked after. An entry in the 1957 directory FOR Camberley reads “Ward K 218 London Road., Cam., Dogs Home”. In 1976 she stated that she had 34 dogs, although by 1977 she had cut this down to 19, as she had been told to go easier at the age of 82! The growth of other dog rescue centres helped in this regard. She also had at least one cat.
CAMBERLEY KATE
Kate and her olive-green painted hand cart, labelled STRAY DOGS, was a familiar sight locally as she pushed it from Yorktown to Camberley each day, through the town centre and up to Barossa Common, on a route suggested by the police. Some of the dogs were allowed to ride in the cart, others were attached to it with lengths of string, and occasionally a favoured few ran loose alongside. Inside the cart, there was usually some meat for the dogs and a shovel to clean any mess away. The dogs were controlled with the help of a whistle. Locals became used to the sight of Kate pushing her cart along the busy London Road although it never ceased to amaze outsiders.
As a local celebrity Kate and her dogs were much photographed, a situation she tolerated as long as the photographer gave a donation for the upkeep of the animals. She also sold her own photographic postcards, and gave short shrift to those who tried to take their own pictures. Generous supporters gave money to assist her work and some even left bequests. She was scrupulous that this money should be used only for its intended purpose: the dogs had their own bank account, administered by 2 trustees. She left money in trust for the few dogs left at her death.
If you gave her some money, she would INSIST you take a photo. That way she could not be accused of begging.
Kate and her cart and dogs were a well known sight in the town until her death in 1979
A diminutive figure with her shock of white hair and her beret, Kate defended herself and her work passionately against her critics, such as those who wanted her out of the town centre or who regarded the dogs as dangerous or a health or traffic hazard. On one occasion she rammed a new car which was blocking her way. She also had a number of disputes with the authorities. These clashes were often recorded in the columns of the press. However she won the backing of the local police for her work in taking abandoned dogs in off the streets.
In 21 August 1969 Kate was in the Camberley News fighting plans to introduce a bye law making it illegal for dogs to be out without a lead. This followed complains from residents of new housing estates, and concerns about road accidents caused by stray dogs. In her customary forthright fashion she condemned “The Council is nothing more than a collection of dog-haters. I think this will be rotten. It means that dogs will be chained up all day”. A proposal to ban dogs from the new precinct in Camberley also met with a terse response, particularly since she was in the habit of shopping at Sainsbury’s and leaving some of the dogs tied up outside. When protests about the local drag-hounds running out of control when being exercised attracted her support Kate, in typical fashion, addressed her complaint directly to the King. The Royal family continued to be a favourite route for correspondence. When a local schoolteacher complained that she had seen her beat her dogs with a stick, Kate immediately wrote in protest to the Queen. This was not their first encounter – when Princess Elizabeth got married one of the dogs sent a present of a dog lead.
Kate with cat and some of her dogs at home
As these anecdotes show, Kate was an excellent publicist. A local policemen recalled that occasionally a dog would get loose and be brought to the dog pound. If the Police Station was empty she would pay the fine quietly and readily, but if there was an audience she would protest vocally!
Following a series of strokes old age and ill-health forced her to leave her cottage and her remaining seven dogs were put into kennels. Her last weeks were spent at Kingsclear residential home and she died on 4th August 1979. Her funeral was at St Michael’s, Yorktown.
Despite her avowed dislike of people, Baptist Minister the Rev Chris Russell who officiated at her funeral, remembers her private generosity to those in need. This aspect of her life she kept anonymous, passing on her donations through third parties.
After her death, Camberley vet Geoffrey Craddock was quoted in the Camberley News as saying “Camberley has lost its most celebrated and best known character. She will be greatly missed by those of us who had the rare privilege of knowing her”.
Kate Ward (Camberley Kate) is buried at St Michael’s Church in Camberley and protected by a dog.
During her lifetime, Kate’s fame spread far and wide. She featured In the national press and on television programmes such as “Nationwide” and “Tonight”. was featured on NBC in the United States and her story appeared in publications across Europe from France to Rumania. She also received the ultimate accolade of a feature in “Time” Magazine, and was photographed by Lord Snowdon. To her surprise, in 1967 she received an award from the magazine “Dog’s Life” for her work. In answer to the inevitable question, why she did it? her invariable reply was that she preferred dogs to humans.
Kate puts up with a film crew for the benefit of her dogs
Her home at 218 London Road was just a few doors along from the former Lamb pub, near the present Meadows roundabout, but Is no longer standing. The Katherine Court retirement flats were named after her at the suggestion of a local resident in 2000.
A beautiful painting of Kate and her beloved dogs.
There are so many great lessons we can learn from the life of Kate Ward, both as responsible dog owners, human beings, and as pet rescue charities. Most of all Kate recognized the value of a photograph and how it could be used for the positive influence of others, to bring light to a cause, and to help raise money.
Miracle’s Mission are a non-profit charity dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating sick, injured and disabled animals form around the world. Working predominantly in the UK, Borneo & Egypt; Miracle’s Mission is ever expanding to help animals in need wherever they can.
Because ALL animals deserve a second chance, EVEN disabled ones.
Miracle’s Mission offer a full rehabilitation programme right through from assessment to surgery to rehabilitation, recovery and re-homing. This is again why education is so important, so that people become open to adopting disabled dogs.
Miracle’s Mission was founded by Victoria Bryceson in 2015, after a trip to Borneo made her aware of the severity of the street dog population. Working with animal shelters over there, it became apparent that whilst these shelters were caring for the animals, the root cause was yet to be addressed. Allowing un-neutered cats and dogs to roam the streets meant that puppies and kittens were being born onto the streets at an alarming rate, with a grim life ahead of them. Therefore, Miracle’s Mission came into existence with the main aim to neuter stray animals on the streets of Borneo and decrease the population of dogs and cats suffering.
Miracle’s Mission have carried out several TNRM – Trap, Neuter, Release & Manage Projects in Borneo
Feral and hard-to-catch strays are caught in a custom made trap. Using a dog trap is one of the safest and humane way to catch dogs. We will ask their feeder to lay out a trail of food leading to the trap and at the end, the dog will step on the trigger and it will shut close.
However, we cannot keep on rescuing and putting all the strays into ONE overcrowded shelter. Some dogs are meant to be free and wild. As long as we can stop their breeding/mating, we can control the stray dog population.
Since launching the scheme, Miracle’s Mission has helped more than 6,000 animals.
Miracle’s Story
Miracle is the namesake of the charity, and her story is similar to many others around the world. However, not all of these animals end up being as lucky as she was and finding a loving home where she is spoilt rotten!
Miracle was rescued from the streets of Borneo at 1 week old before her tiny eyes were even open. She was found with her siblings in a very remote area, where they were likely abandoned and were very unwell. The puppies were full of maggots, with ringworm and blood parasites. Unfortunately, Miracle’s siblings did not make it.
Miracle was cared for by Victoria and she had a very long road of recovery ahead of her. She had several injuries and was very weak, but she made a miraculous recovery and is now strong, happy and healthy living with her adopted sisters Star and Tess, who were also rescued from Borneo. Her aim is to aid in saving many more animals in need around the world.
Crediting Ella with all she now knows Victoria said: “It took about three months to get Ella back from Egypt and it was the hardest three months of my life.
“I spent the time converting my garage and garden to make them safe for her. As soon as she arrived, and I got her into some wheels she was a different dog. She inspired me to do more. Every vet said with her injuries she should be put to sleep but once they met her, they changed their minds.”
“When she first got into her wheels she just took off, she ran and ran with no hesitation it was like she got her life back.”
Hoping to encourage people to adopt pets with special needs the charity boss said: “People think it would be too difficult to look after a dog with wheels, but they adapt really well. If you have a house with stairs, they live downstairs or you can take them upstairs and put a baby gate at the top. It really is not difficult. They tend to connect with you more.”
Miracle’s Mission were proud to be recently named 2021 Rescue of the Year by Walkin’ Pets who said “the rescue focuses on the hardest to adopt pets, believing that “adopting a special needs pet will change your life, your world, your outlook, your priorities and all for the better.”
The charity is currently fundraising to expand the size of rescue centre which would allow them to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome many more animals in need. They have found this land and buildings that would be suitable for the new Centre For Disabled Animals and is up for auction soon.
Our wonderful supporters and friends have donated a number of amazing items featured below that you can bid for as part our ‘Charity Auction To Help Disabled Animals’.
This is a sealed bid auction, so all you need to do is decide which item you would like to bid for – noting the reserve price for each – and send us your bid with the lot number by email to protectallwildlife@btinternet.com by 21:00 on the 28th of february. We’ll email you to let you know if your bid is the highest. Postage costs will be calculated when the auction ends. Good luck!
All funds support the Miracle’s Mission Centre for Disabled Animals and their work in the rescue, treatment and rehoming of sick, injured and disabled animals
LOT 1
Street artist Sonny Sundancer’s gigantic painting of an Amur Leopard overlooked the city of Vladivostok, Russia and is part of his worldwide ‘To The Bone’ project aimed at raising awareness about endangered species.
This STUNNING piece of his work is caught brilliantly in this VERY Limited Edition of only 45 prints and measures 500 x 355mm.
Reserve: £75
LOT 2
This study of a Lion is titled ‘Endangered Nobility’ and is a stunning ORIGINAL pencil drawing by Kim Thompson. It measures 375 x 470mm.
Reserve: £250
LOT 3
This is an ORIGINAL watercolour, pastel and pencil study of a Siberian Tiger by wildlife artist Milo. This STUNNING piece measures 420 x 570mm.
Reserve: £100
SIBERIAN TIGER
LOT 4
Two Day tickets to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park where you can see, amongst others, the pride of rescued Romanian Lions.
Reserve: £50
LOT 5
An original stunning watercolour by Diane Antone titled ‘The Badger’. It measures 210 x 297mm.
Reserve: £75
LOT 6
This is a stunning ORIGINAL watercolour study of a Lion by wildlife artist William Elliston. This superb piece measures 420 x 300mm.
Reserve: £75
LOT 7
This is an ORIGINAL watercolour, pastel and pencil study of an Amur Leopard by wildlife artist Milo. This STUNNING piece measures 410 x 530mm.
Reserve: £100
LOT 8
This is a signed plaque of Paralympic swimmer Stephanie Millward MBE who is one of the most experienced para-swimmers on the British team having won a total of ten medals, including two golds, across three games.
The plaque measures 300 x 210 x 5mm and would superb framed.
Reserve: £50
LOT 9
This STUNNING Ltd Edition print is titled ‘Highland Monarch’ and is by Michael Demain. It is measures 555 x 335mm
Reserve: £40
LOT 10
This ORIGINAL watercolour of a Stag by I Mills is stunning. It measures 280 x 380mm
Reserve: £50
LOT 11
‘Mischief Maker’ is a beautiful Ltd Edition study of a Lion cub by Julie Rhodes. It is mounted and measures 560 x 380mm.
Reserve £50
LOT 12
‘Lekupania with Giraffe’ by multi-award winning photojournalist and documentary filmmaker Ami Vitalle. This stunning image is of an orphaned baby reticulated giraffe embracing Sarara Camp wildlife keeper Lekupania. It measures 11 x 16 inches and normally sells for $550 on Ami’s website.
Reserve: £250
LOT 13
‘Tails Erect’ by Wildlife Artist Carol Barrett. This ORIGINAL study of Warthogs is in watercolour and ink and is on Rhino Dung Paper! It is mounted and measures 400 x 300 mm.
Reserve: £200
TAILS ERECT
LOT 14
This is an ORIGINAL watercolour, pastel and pencil study of a Giraffe and her calf by wildlife artist Milo. This STUNNING piece measures 420mm x 300mm.
Reserve £100
LOT 15
This is an ORIGINAL watercolour, pastel and pencil study of a Badger by wildlife artist Milo. This STUNNING piece measures 590mm x 420mm
Reserve £100
LOT 16
This is an ORIGINAL watercolour, pastel and pencil study of Zebras At A Waterhole by wildlife artist Milo. This STUNNING piece measures 560mm x 420mm.
Reserve £100
LOT 17
This is an ORIGINAL watercolour, pastel and pencil study of a Sleeping Chimp by wildlife artist Milo. This STUNNING piece measures 410mm x 530mm.
This is a sealed bid auction, so all you need to do is send us your offer – noting the reserve price – by email to protectallwildlife@btinternet.com by the 31th of January. We’ll email you to let you know if your bid is the highest. Postage costs will be calculated when the auction ends. Good luck!
LOT 1
Fully signed South African Rugby Union Club Sharks top very kindly donated by former Sharks fullback Joe Pieterson
Reserve: £100
SHARKS FULLBACK JOE PIETERSON
All funds support the Miracle’s Mission Centre for Disabled Animals and their work in the rescue, treatment and rehoming of sick, injured and disabled animals.
For more information about the amazing work of Miracle’s Mission click HERE
A hunt has apologised unreservedly after its hounds killed a much-loved pet cat as they “ran out of control”.
One dog snatched the terrified animal from under a car in a private garden and “shook her like a rag doll”, the owner told The Independent.
The hounds “ran ahead of the horses uncontrolled” while the riders were out exercising in Bakewell, Derbyshire.
Hunt organisers said they were reviewing their procedures to prevent another pet being killed.
Spider died almost instantly after the attack (Rebecca Bingham)
Rebecca Bingham said her two-year-old cat, called Spider, was sitting on a wall at the end of her yard when the hounds came running.
“Before she had chance to move, one jumped up on the wall,” she said. “She then dodged and hid underneath the car, but it crawled under after her, brought her out, jaws clamped around her stomach, and shook her like a rag doll.
“But by the time we managed to get the dog to release her, she was the gasping for air, and within a minute she was passed away.”
Ms Bingham said Spider, whom she had had since birth, was “a real beauty, and was still in my eyes a baby”.
The two mounted riders, from the High Peak Hunt, were not hunting but appeared to be out exercising with the hounds, she said.
This isn’t the first time she’s had to intervene to get the hounds out of her garden, saying that they have tried to push through the gate in the past to get to their cats or the cat food on the ground, adding: “We have had to remove them from our property more than once because of this.”
Taking to Facebook, one of Ms Bingham’s friends wrote: “Please if you know of, or see anything, anywhere, report it as wildlife crime. This isn’t okay, and no one should have to worry about their precious babies being injured or losing their life due to some folk enjoying this so-called ‘sport’.”
A spokesperson from the High Peak Hunt told the Independent the hounds were being walked out where they’re routinely exercised without incident.
The statement went on: “The hunt has been in contact with the cat owner and apologised unreservedly for the distress this has caused.
“Incidents of this nature involving hounds are incredibly rare due to the professionalism with which the hounds are handled in kennels and throughout their lives; however, the hunt has taken this matter very seriously and is reviewing their procedures to prevent any reoccurrence.”
However, the Derby Hunt Saboteurs, who campaign against the fox hunting in the county, said the incident proved how dangerous the practice was.
A spokesperson said: “This incident shows the huntsman’s lack of control over their hounds. If they weren’t trained to kill this wouldn’t happen.
“Time and time again we have seen this happen. It was only a few weeks ago the High Peak Harriers were filmed chasing a calf.”
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Gurkhas from The Royal Gurkha Rifles have trained Zambian rangers in anti-poaching skills and tactics – the first UK deployment of its kind in the country. The elite force spent six weeks teaching 119 rangers how to track down armed elephant killers plaguing Zambia’s wildlife and making millions out of tusk trade
RANGERS BEING TRAINED IN ANTI-POACHING SKILLS
Gangster networks have grown in the region and are making millions from the illegal tusk trade.
The 30-strong unit spent six weeks in Zambia, sharing soldiering skills with the Zambian National Anti-Poaching Task Force to help strengthen their response to poaching and the illicit wildlife trade – thought to be worth £17bn a year internationally to criminal gangs.
With a large elephant population and rare and endangered species in Zambia, there has been an increase in the number of groups selling illegal animal products internationally, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The Gurkhas supported the Zambian National Anti-Poaching Task Force with coaching in interception tracking tactics, evidence gathering, leadership development and medic response training.
The rangers were also shown how to use lightweight patrol packs and first aid kits so they can work further away from their bases, to cover isolated areas where poachers can operate.
GURKAS AND RANGERS TRAIN ON PATROL
Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey said: “The UK is committed to tackling the illegal wildlife trade, which has a destabilising impact on communities across Zambia, and the wider continent.
“These deployments are also a valuable learning opportunity for the soldiers, operating in challenging terrain and learning bush-craft from the rangers.”
The training exercises took place in the 8,600 sq miles of Kafue National Park with 119 students from the Zambian Police, Armed Forces, National Service and Department for National Parks and Wildlife were trained.
THE GURKAS AND ZAMBIAN RANGERS PROTECTING WILDLIFE
There have been four past deployments of UK personnel to neighbouring Malawi, where soldiers trained more than 200 rangers to improve patrols and communications.
Major James Marden, Officer Commanding, said: “This was a unique operation, unlike anything I have done before, enhanced by it being the first British counter-poaching training support mission in Zambia. It was hugely rewarding working with such a diverse team.”
The video footage shows the adolescent male cheetah cub nervously approach the watering hole and timidly laps at the water.
In an instant, the 13-foot Nile crocodile leaps from the water and grabs the young cheetah in its powerful jaws. The strength of the assault is so great it forces the cheetah up into the air, before he gets dragged under the surface.
The cheetah can be seen struggling with the croc as he gets pulled under, but the force of the attack is just too much for him.
WildEarth safari guide Busani Mtshali, 30, from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, captured the incredible footage at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, while leading a tour.
“It is so painful,” the guide can be heard saying, after witnessing the dramatic attack.
“It is more than the word painful. There is nothing really we can do because the croc was just ambushing the cheetah when the young cheetah cub went down to drink water.
