CHENNAI : Thanks to the wonderful movie Hachiko, we all know the story of this Akita dog who lived near the city of Odete, Japan. After his masters’ sudden death, each day for nine years, Hachiko returned to Shibuya Station at the same time his owner’s train would arrive,just like Capitan, a GSD, who waited for six years at his master’s grave after the demise of Manuel Guzman. Today, we are going to read about some of these incredible animals who have since been immortalised for the roles they have played in human history.
The first canine in space
A young stray dog Laika, found wandering the streets of Moscow, was destined to become the first canine in space. Unfortunately, Laika aboard Sputnik 2, perished within few hours of the journey due to heat exposure. Laika’s memory lives on, as a plaque and statue in memory of the little dog.
Collie who found stolen World Cup
England will be forever indebted to Pickles, a collie dog who helped find the stolen World Cup trophy on display in 1966. Pickles was out for a walk with his owner when he began sniffing under a bush. Hidden beneath the shrub, wrapped in a newspaper, was the cup. He was feted all over the world and hailed as a hero in his native country as a savior of England’s national pride.
Knut major tourist attraction
Knut was an orphaned polar bear born in captivity at the Berlin Zoological Garden. Rejected by his mother at birth, he was raised by zookeepers. He was the first polar bear cub to survive past infancy at the Berlin Zoo in more than 30 years. He became a major tourist attraction till his death four years later.
Lassie, the marketing phenomenon
Another famous canine movie star was Pal, famously known as Lassie, a Rough Collie who started a popular film career in 1943, with the cinematic adaptation of Eric Knight’s novel Lassie Come-Home. He went on to star in six more Lassie films from the mid-1940s to early 1950s and also appeared in the two pilots filmed for the successful television series in 1954. Lassie was one of the very first marketing phenomenon’s, having appeared in radio, television, film, toys, comic books, animated series, juvenile novels and other media.
World’s most famous sheep
Not only dogs, there is an unending list of other animals who have since become famous for their shenanigans. Dolly, the sheep, is rightly referred to as the world’s most famous sheep. She was the first mammal to be born from the cloning of a ewe’s mammary glands on July 5, 1996 at the Roslin Institute of the University of Edinburgh and was under constant scientific scrutiny till her last days.
Rescued GSD becomes celebrity
Rin-Tin-Tin was a German shepherd, rescued from a French battlefield during World War I by American soldier Lee Duncan. Upon returning to the US, Duncan trained the German Shepherd who ultimately became a major Hollywood celebrity acting in over 27 movies.
Elsa ‘born free’
Elsa the lioness first came to the world’s attention with the publication of the book Born Free by naturalist Joy Adamson. The young lioness lived the life of a domesticated pet, till gradually being introduced to the world of game reservations. Elsa forever lives in our memory through the movie Born free.
The chimp, the space traveller
Ham the chimp was the first hominid in space who was chosen by NASA to be launched into space in a Mercury capsule. The journey he undertook on January 31, 1961 was short, but he still managed to travel 155 miles (250 km) in 16.5 minutes. Thankfully, he had a better fate than Laika, the unfortunate canine space traveller.
‘Ape’ who played Caesar
The character of Caesar in the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes was based on Oliver, a common chimpanzee who displayed human-like characteristics. He was labeled as human-ape hybrid or possible new sub-species. In 1982, his unusual characteristics were featured in a Los Angeles Times article which made him the target of intense speculation and worldwide interest.
Groundhog predicted weather
The most famous groundhog in the world, Punxsutawney Phil (also known as “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary”) has been predicting the weather in Gobbler’s Knob since 1886. The prognosticating groundhog is thought to derive from a German tradition that if the sun comes out on Candlemas and the hedgehog sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter will follow.
The cat with ‘nine lives’
This article will remain incomplete without mentioning ‘Unsinkable Sam’. Sam was a remarkable cat who managed to survive three shipwrecks during the Second World War. No wonder we say that cat has nine lives. Thankfully, Sam stayed away from ships after that and he eventually died in a seaman’s home in Belfast in 1955.