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Fri 15 Dec, 2006 07:12 pm
Quote:World's Tallest Man Saves China Dolphins
Dec 14, 7:28 AM (ET)
BEIJING (AP) - The long arms of the world's tallest man reached in and saved two dolphins by pulling out plastic from their stomachs, state media and an aquarium official said Thursday.
The dolphins got sick after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool at an aquarium in Liaoning province. Attempts to use surgical instruments to remove the plastic failed because the dolphins' stomachs contracted in response to the instruments, the China Daily newspaper reported.
Veterinarians then decided to ask for help from Bao Xishun, a 7-foot-9 herdsman from Inner Mongolia with 41.7-inch arms, state media said.
Bao, 54, was confirmed last year by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest living man.
Chen Lujun, the manager of the Royal Jidi Ocean World aquarium, told The Associated Press that the shape of the dolphins' stomachs made it difficult to push an instrument very far in without hurting the animals. People with shorter arms could not reach the plastic, he said.
"When we failed to get the objects out we sought the help of Bao Xishun from Inner Mongolia and he did it successfully yesterday," Chen said. "The two dolphins are in very good condition now."
Photographs showed the jaws of one of the dolphins being held back by towels so Bao could reach inside the animal without being bitten.
"Some very small plastic pieces are still left in the dolphins' stomachs," Zhu Xiaoling, a local doctor, told Xinhua. "However the dolphins will be able to digest these and are expected to recover soon."
Bao Xishun, center, the tallest living man in the world according to the 2005 edition of the Guinness Book of Records, observes dolphins in an oceanarium and amusement park in Fushun of northeast China's Liaoning province Wednesday, Dec 13, 2006. Bao, 2.36 meters (7.7 feet) tall, with the advantage of his long arms, was invited to perform an alternative procedure on the dolphins after conventional treatments had failed. The medical workers and trainers at the park decided to take a chance with an alternative cure for two dolphins who they say suffer from an upset appetite and emotional depression due to unknown heavy objects in their stomachs.
I saw that story earlier today. Really cool!
Yes, for sure, never mind the awesome height of this dude. compare to those standing next to him.
These super-tall people - is it always gigantism? I can't help but wonder about their lives. They are almost always famous at some point in their lives, but they die so young. Glad he could help the dolphins, for sure. I was thinking it was going to be a story about him campaigning for the river dolphins in peril there.
Yao Ming, the besketball player, is only 3 inches shorter and does not suffer from gigantism. He's just really tall.
Ah, so it isn't always so.
Sometimes it's inherited genes, I think.