07.02.2011
Cow that escaped slaughterhouse has new adventure
BILLINGS, Mont. – Five years after a cow dubbed the "Unsinkable Molly B" leapt a slaughterhouse gate and swam across the Missouri River in an escape that drew international attention, the heifer has again eluded fate, surviving the collapse of the animal sanctuary where she was meant to retire.
Molly B was among an estimated 1,200 animals removed from the Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in recent weeks as part of a massive effort to bail out its overwhelmed owners.
Animal welfare groups said they were forced to euthanize dozens of starving and ill cattle, horses and llamas found on the 400-acre sanctuary in rural Sanders County.
The bovine celebrity herself - an overweight black Angus breed said to be sore in the hoof but otherwise relatively healthy - was removed to a nearby ranch and is headed this week to a smaller farm sanctuary.
"Molly B made it OK. She's a tough old broad," said Jerry Finch with Habitat for Horses of Hitchcock, Texas, who participated in the rescue effort. "She had bad feet, but she was not anywhere near as bad as some of the others."
Molly B's relocation to a 20-acre ranchette known as the New Dawn MT Sanctuary has proven an adventure in its own right. Local media stories had trumpeted her arrival at the Stevensville facility last week, including photos said to be of Molly B and new friend "Misty."
Yet when New Dawn owner Susan Eakins watched one of the reports on the nightly news, video of the cow climbing a hill revealed the sanctuary had gotten the wrong animal - a male steer named "Big Mike." A mix-up left Molly B behind on another ranch.
Her home since 2006, near the small town of Hot Springs, in recent years had grown into a sort of Noah's Ark-gone-wild - more than 600 llamas; at least 100 horses, donkeys and cattle; and a motley assortment of bison, camels, exotic rodents and other furry and feathered beasts.
Many of the animals were breeding. Rescuers said that allowed the sanctuary population to multiply unchecked, setting the stage for conditions to deteriorate rapidly after one of the facility's two full-time employees fell ill last year. As the situation worsened, word circulated among animal rescue groups across the country.
Patty Finch with the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries said by the time she called the Montana facility in late November to offer help, many of its animals were sick, dying or struggling to survive in increasingly cramped quarters.
"Molly is a good representative of what a betrayal it was to each of these animals. The sanctuary should be a line in the sand that means never again should you suffer," said Patty Finch, who said she has no relation to Jerry Finch.
Molly B's second retirement will start another chapter in an unlikely story that began January 2006, when a yet-to-be-named 1,200 pound heifer skipped her date with doom by leaping a 5-foot-5-inch fence at Mickey's Packing Plant in Great Falls.
The cow raced through town with police and animal control on her heels, reportedly running into a conflict with a German Shepherd, dodging an SUV and negotiating through a rail yard. She swam across the Missouri River and later took three tranquilizer darts before eventually getting corralled.
Mickey's Packing Plant employees christened the spirited cow Molly B and voted 10-1 to spare her from slaughter.
A less formal vote on Molly B's fate came out in her favor this weekend. New Dawn owner Eakins said after a heart-to-heart with her husband over whether they could afford to take another cow into their 50-animal operation, the couple decided to make it work. "We made a commitment to her," Eakins said.
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Online:
New Dawn MT Sanctuary:The Ballad of Molly B:
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Packers find way to win without Woodson and Driver
ARLINGTON, Texas – Charles Woodson's collarbone was broken and his voice was about to crack, too. The speech was going to be short.
Standing in the middle of the Green Bay Packers' locker room at halftime, Woodson knew he wouldn't be able to get back on the field to pursue the Super Bowl win he'd wanted his entire career. So he tried to tell his teammates how much winning meant to him, and push them to go out and get it without him.
"I could barely get it out," Woodson said. "The emotions were running high. I was very, very angry at the fact that I couldn't go out there and play any longer. I was able to get out that they knew, or understood, what this moment meant to me and just go out and fight. And they did."
As if being without their defensive cornerstone wasn't enough, the Packers' wide receivers couldn't seem to hold onto the ball. Veteran Donald Driver was also out with an injury to his left ankle.
Somehow, they found a way to win the Super Bowl.
Green Bay's 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night was a fitting end to the season for a team that found a way to get there despite having 16 players, including six starters, on injured reserve.
"It was the great resolve of our football team," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We had some practice with some guys going down and other players stepping up. It was a very emotional halftime for our football team. We had some bumps in the third quarter but just a tremendous effort and Coach Lombardi's trophy is finally going back home."
Surrounded by reporters in the locker room after the game, Woodson had a sling over his left arm, but that wasn't stopping him from cradling the Lombardi Trophy in his arms.
Woodson joked that holding the trophy made it feel better.
"I played through a lot (of injuries) in my time," Woodson said. "This one wasn't going to happen."
With Woodson sidelined, Clay Matthews forced a critical fumble at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Teammate Ryan Pickett said Matthews recognized the play, called it out and told Pickett to make an adjustment on the fly.
Then Jordy Nelson made up for some dropped passes by putting the Packers in position to score with a big catch, and Greg Jennings caught what would end up being the decisive touchdown.
The Steelers came back with a touchdown and 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 28-25, but Aaron Rodgers' big plays to Jennings and James Jones allowed the Packers to kick a field goal. The Steelers couldn't rally in the final two minutes, and the Packers held on to win.
"That's pretty much the definition of who we are," Jennings said. "We're an adversity-hurdling team. We show a lot of resolve once again today, losing our head captain and losing Drive. But they were still emotional leaders."
Things weren't looking so good in the third quarter, when the game seemed to be slipping away from Green Bay.
The Packers were leading 21-10 at halftime, but would their defense be able to hold without Woodson? And could Rodgers give the defense some breathing room without Driver?
"My receiver group came in there and told me they were going to win it for me," said Driver, wearing a big walking boot on his left ankle. "And I told my guys, 'Go out there and make the plays.'"
Jones bobbled what could have become an easy touchdown on the Packers' first possession of the second half — another critical drop for the talented but inconsistent receiver. Nelson made a nice catch for a 29-yard touchdown for the Packers in the first quarter, but he also had a couple of critical dropped passes.
"You stay around long enough, you're going to drop another one," Driver said. "I told my guys when they got to the sideline, just make a play. All this will stop if you go out and make plays."
They did, and so did the defense.
Now the Packers are champions.
"Got to give credit to our defense," Rodgers said. "This is a great group of men that we put together here, a lot of character, been through a lot together. It's just great to be able to share it with them."
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Miller leads No. 24 Georgia past Alabama, 81-54
ATHENS, Ga. – Freshman reserve guard Khaalidah Miller scored 22 points and No. 24 Georgia beat Alabama 81-54 on Sunday.
Anne Marie Armstrong had 16 points, and Porsha Phillips had her ninth double double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs (18-5, 8-2 Southeastern Conference). Georgia was without Jasmine James, who sat out to rest a sprained wrist that she injured seven games ago.
Ericka Russell led Alabama (12-12, 1-10) with 11 points, and Jasmine Robinson scored 10.
The Lady Bulldogs scored the first 10 points and were up 15-2 before Alabama made a field goal.
Aside from James, the other nine Lady Dogs all played and all scored, the first time this year that has happened.
Georgia outrebounded Alabama 52-31.
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