A 12 year-old Ethiopian girl was walking to school one day when she was suddenly abducted by a group of men. Over the course of the next week, the men regularly beat her and even tried to force her to marry one of them.

Sadly, kidnappings such as this one are common in Ethiopia, where they are considered to be marriage customs in rural areas. The United Nations has estimated that 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia take place by abduction.

Just when the young girl started to lose hope, three lions intervened to save her in a way that nobody was expecting.

The lions chased off the girls’ abductors and then stood guard over her until police arrived on the scene.

“They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest,” said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo. “If the lions had not come to rescue her, then it could have been much worse. Often these young girls are raped and severely beaten to force them to accept the marriage.”

“Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle because normally the lions would attack people,” Wedajo said.

Wildlife expert Stuart Williams said that the girl had probably been saved because she was crying.

“A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the mewing sound from a lion cub, which in turn could explain why they didn’t eat her,” Williams said.

We’re so glad to see that these lions were able to save this girl’s life! SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!