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Speaker 1: Yea, hello. My name's Josephine and this is the Animal

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Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.

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There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,

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with a third premium only story every Friday. Please continue

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to share Animal Tales with your friends and leave us

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reviews where you can. Harun is from Sheffield in the UK,

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and he has asked for a story featuring age of

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Boa and a cheetah. You can learn more about these

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creatures in the animal facts after the story. Okay, are

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you ready? That's good, then I'll begin Tiny Town. An

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obvious problem in a city with animals of all different

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sizes is where do they all live. An apartment or

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house built for, say, a leopard, is not going to

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be ideal for a giraffe or indeed, a mole. Although

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animals had to make the most of the space they

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could get, often animals of a certain size clustered together

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into homes tailored just for them. Such a place was

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Tiny Town, home to thousands of animals in tower blocks

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and apartment buildings that were barely taller than an elephant.

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What's more, Tiny Town took up the same amount of

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ground as the average normal size building, but for the

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animals that lived there, it was an ideal home where

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things were just the right size and scale and there

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was little danger of being accidentally trodden on. Where are

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you off to with such a big smile on your face,

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Harun asked missus Tuft, a pigmy marmosette, Harun, a gibbet,

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grinned at his neighbor as he headed for the stairs.

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I'm off to apply to be a firefighter, he replied.

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But the nearest fire station is on Go to Kohla Avenue.

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That's in the big part of town, shouted missus Tuft

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after him. Almost everything is in the big part of town,

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called back Haroun with a laugh. He came out at

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street level and wound his way amongst the shops, stores,

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cafes and diners that thrived in Tiny Town. He passed

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a harvest mouse family on their way to school, an

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elephant shrewd delivering a parcel, a humming bird ordering a coffee,

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and a gecko assisting a chameleon with directions. Everyone was cheerful, helpful,

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and best of all around his size. But that didn't

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last long. On the edge of Tiny Town, Harun had

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to stop. He'd arrived at Go Toucola Avenue. The pavement

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before him was suddenly much much wider and busy with

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much bigger animals. It meant looking up, looking around, and

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paying attention all the time. It was the best way

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to avoid being stepped on. Harun took a deep breath,

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had a final look about him, then marched off into

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the bigger world. Andrea was a cheetah and chief fire

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officer in this part of Rainforest City. She was based

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at the Go tou Cola Avenue fire station and took

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her job incredibly seriously and rightly so, because being a

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firefighter was all about saving lives. It didn't come more

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important than that. To day was a special day for

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their fire station. It was recruitment day. Anybody interested in

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becoming a fire fighter was invited to drop in and

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learn more, maybe even a ply on the spot. A

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handful of interested animals had already called in, including an anaconda,

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a kangaroo, and a mountain lion. All looked promising and

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were currently chatting to some of her firefighters about what

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the job was like. Andrea was just taking a moment

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to stare proudly at the shiny red fire truck beside her,

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when a voice down by her ankle surprised her. Where

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do I sign up? Asked the little joboah Aha, stumbled

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the cheetah, tripping over her own tongue. I do beg

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your pardon? Are you saying you want to be a firefighter? Oh? Yes,

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beamed herun I wanted to since I was little, but

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began Andrea, struggling to find the right words. You are

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still little, she said, somewhat awkwardly, but not little as

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in young, said heron I'm all grown up and raring

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to go. Oh dear, said Andrea. Look, I admire your enthusiasm,

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young man, but this is a big and busy fire

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station with big and heavy equipment. How would you be

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able to hold a hose when it's blasting out water?

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And what about a ladder? I'm not even sure you

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could reach the first rung. Don't you worry about me?

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Insisted harun Jerboahs are amazing jumpers. I can jump up

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a ladder, no problem. Ah, I see very well, said Andrea.

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She wasn't sure how to handle this. Why don't you

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head over to the information table and pick up a

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leaflet I'll have one of my team come across and

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make your detail shortly. Great, said the delighted Harun as

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he bounded away. Thanks for all your help, the cheetah

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waved over the station manager. A mountain tapeier called Pablo. Yes, Chief,

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said Pablo eagerly. There's a jerboah over there wants to

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be a firefighter, said Andrea, gently, nodding her head so

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not to draw attention. That little guy, shrieked Pablo loudly.

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He's way too small, sh hushed Andrea. I know, but

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he's also really keen. We're going to have to find

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a way of letting him down gently. Okay, Chief winked

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the tape pier. I've got an idea, leave it to me.

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Harun was sat on the edge of the chair, holding

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the leaflet open before him. When Pablo sat down, the

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tapia couldn't help, but note that the leaflet was bigger

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than the Joboa. Hi, I'm Pablo, said the station manager.

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I understand you want to be a fire fighter. Oh, yes,

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said Horon, sitting up straight. I want nothing more than

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to fight fires and help my fellow animals. I see,

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said Pablo, trying to keep the disbelief from his voice. Well,

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you're in luck. We're allowing one lucky potential recruit to

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ride along to our next emergency, you know, so they

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can get a taste of what it's like being a firefighter,

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and it just so happens that you've been selected. That's amazing,

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said heron. I'm really surprised. And why's that, asked Pablo.

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Is it because you're so titch well? No, said Horun.

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It's because I haven't even given you any details yet,

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not even my name. Ha ha ha ha ha, laughed

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Pablo nervously as he snatched up a laptop. Um, yes,

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we need to do that, don't we. There were lots

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of questions, which Harun answered with enthusiasm. Although Pablo had

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decided that a Joboah would be no good as a firefighter,

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there was no denying Harun's determination. An alarm began to

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squawk loudly, filling the fire station with noise. The firefighters

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around them immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed

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to the red fire truck. Come on, urged the tape. Here,

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you're with me. I'm right behind you, jumped Haroun. This

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was it his first glimpse of what being a firefighter

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would be like, and he was determined to do his best.

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The other firefighters were surprised to see the jaboah riding

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along with them, but Pablo met their curious stairs and

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urged them not to question it. What's the emergency, asked

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one of the firefighters, A pronghorn kitchen pan fire. If

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it spreads, it's in danger of taking out the entire

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apartment block, answered another firefighter, This one a wolf. It's

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very close, though, We should get there before it causes

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too much damage, and she wasn't kidding. The fire truck

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screeched to a halt that very second, and everyone piled out,

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all except Haroun, who froze in the truck's doorway. From

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this height, he had a good view across most of

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Tiny Town and could see the smoke rising from the

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fire they'd come to tackle. The smoke was rising from

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a building near tiny Town center. His building stand back,

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shouted Pablo to the pedestrians on the pavement, give us

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some room. The wolf was uncoiling the fire hose, bringing

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the nozzle to point towards the problem. Wait, screamed Trun,

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Don't use the hose, don't turn it on. What stop

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talking nonsense, growled the wolf. How are we supposed to

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put out a fire without the hose? Your massive hose

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will be like a tidal wave crashing down in the

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middle of town, yelled Harun. You'll destroy buildings and wash

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away homes. It's far too big and powerful for tiny town.

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Don't panic, announced the pronghorn. He stepped forward, stomping a

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boot down on a tiny town street and sending a

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toad leaping for safety. I'll push through and dump this

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bucket of water straight on top of it. No, no,

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bellowed Horun. You're too big to do that. You'll do

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no end of damage as you squeeze through, and probably

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flatten a few animals on your way. This is a disaster,

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yelped Pablo. We can't just let it burn. We've got

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to do something. I'm the right size to handle this,

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shouted Horn as he bounded forward. Leave it to me.

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Before Pablo could object, the Joboa had disappeared amongst the

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tiny town streets, out of the way. Emergency coming through.

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His yellings sent tiny animals dashing out of his way.

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He only slowed at the base of his building, taking

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a second to look up at the smoke that was

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thick and black as it poured from the topmost floor.

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He knew exactly which apart ampment the fire was in.

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It was ten floors of stairs to get there, and

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somehow the Joboah bounced his way up faster than he

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had ever managed before. He burst through Missus Tuft's door

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to find the room thick with smoke and the Pigmy

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Marmosette lifting a bowl of water ready to throw it

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on the blazing pan upon the stove. Wait don't, horn, boomed,

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rushing forward to knock the bowl from her hands. But Harun,

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the fire, wailed Missus Tuft, clearly stunned by his actions. Harun,

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though wasn't finished. He reached forward, turning the stove off,

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then grabbed the metal pan lid that sat on the

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side to drop it on to the flames. The fire

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was now sealed within the pan, quickly burning through what

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little oxygen was available to splutter out. How did you

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know to do that, asked missus Tuft in astonishment. I

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want to be a fire fighter, missus Tuft panted heron,

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so I've been paying attention to the best ways to

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fight fires with pan fires. You don't use water. It

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can splash burning grease everywhere and make the fire ten

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times worse. Oh but look at my lovely kitchen my apartment,

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sobbed missus Tuft. There was thick black stains across the

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ceilings and walls that can be repaired, said Herron gently.

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We need to be thankful it wasn't any worse. Ho

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Run emerged from Tiny Town to a chorus of cheers

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and applause led by the fire fighting crew. To the

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Joboah's surprise, the cheetah from the fire station was amongst them.

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That was incredibly well handled, said Andrea, visibly impressed. Not

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only did your quick thinking prevent catastrophic property damage, but

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you've no doubt saved many lives as well. I was

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just doing what a fire fighter is supposed to do,

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said the Joboah shyly. You were agreed, the cheetah. I

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confess we thought you were too small to be an

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effective firefighter. Sending you on this emergency was supposed to

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prove to you that you couldn't do the job. I

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guess you showed us, said Pablo awkwardly. What we now

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know is that we need animals like you on our

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team continued, Andrea, and your actions to day have highlighted

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a serious gap in our ability to serve the animals

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of rain Forest City, and that's something I aim to

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correct right away. Does that mean I've got the job,

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Harun asked, Oh yes, grinned Andrea, Welcome to the fire service.

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A few weeks later, a brand new fire truck was

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delivered to the go to Cola Avenue fire station. It

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was considerably smaller than the one it was parked next to,

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but just the right size for a jaboah and the

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specially recruited team of little animals that would operate it.

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Tiny Town and all the other smaller communities of Rainforest

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City would now be much safer, and all thanks to

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the bravery, quick thinking and determination of her run animals.

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Fat For cheetahs to be fast, it's not just about

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their long legs and flexible bodies. They also have large

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nostrils to draw in extra oxygen, along with bigger lungs

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and hearts. All this helps power their muscles more efficiently.

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Jerboas are small rodents that live in desert conditions. They

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hop much like a kangaroo does, and are incredibly quick

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for their size. Most hops are around ten centimeters in

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length that's four inches, but when faced with danger, they

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can jump up to an incredible three meters that's ten feet.

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Thank you for your suggestions, Harun. We hope you enjoyed

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the tale, and thank you to all of you across

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the world for listening to it. If you prefer your

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stories advert free, then please consider our premium service through

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accompanies this episode for a tiny fee, it's advert free.

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Join us next time for another great animal tale. Goodbye,