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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. To learn

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more about Animal Tales, please visit our new website at

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Animaltales dot uk, where you can now find stories more

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easily by animal type. Joe is from London in England

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and he would like a story with a water buffalo,

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a camel and a snake. You can learn more about

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

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are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin. Lost in Cairo,

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Joe lay on the ground panting. It was a hot,

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sunny day in Egypt, and despite the heat, he was

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loving it. Behind him, Joe's family were getting ready for

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a long day of sight seeing. They were visiting Cairo

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for the week, and even though Joe was a dog,

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had brought him along too. All right, everyone said, Dad,

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we've got a long day ahead of us. A boat

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ride down the Nile, a tour around the Great Pyramid

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of Gezer, then back into Cairo for the Hanging Church.

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This afternoon, make sure you have everything you need and

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remember to stay close. Joe wagged his tail happily as

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the family left their hotel, shutting the red door behind

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them straightway. There was so much to sniff and see,

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so many people, so much noise, and strange new buildings everywhere.

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Joe kept getting distracted as they weaved their way through

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the streets, with Dad pointing out landmarks such as the

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Abdeen Palace Museum. They arrived at the dock where they'd

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be taking their boat trip along the Nile. The smells

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of Egypt filled Joe's nose, such as new foods, interesting fabrics,

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and animals that were completely new to the dog. While

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the family waited patiently for the boat, something particularly delicious

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smelling got Joe's full attention. He fidgeted and pulled and

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twisted as the waiting crowd began to board, and such

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was the hustle and bustle that Mum didn't notice that Joe,

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in his excitement, had slipped his collar. He dashed through

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the legs of the dockside crowd, weaving through people, bikes,

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and carts to the source of the exciting smell, A

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delicious kebab. Some one must have dropped it, but Joe

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wasn't going to let it go to waste. He wolfed

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it down, then trotted back to his family, But his

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family weren't there. The boat was gone. Skidding to a

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halt at the dock's edge, he caught sight of the

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boat sailing away, already far too far away to jump

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or swim too, but he could run. Joe sprinted along

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the river side, trying to keep a watchful eye on

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his family's boat. But the nile was a busy place,

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and it wasn't long before he lost sight of it

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amongst the mass of other river vessels. What do I do,

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he whined, I've lost my family, and in a city

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he didn't know. What made it worse was that he

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knew that they'd be worried about him. He slumped down

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on the river bank, dropping his head onto his paws,

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feeling very, very sorry for himself. What's up, pup, asked

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a small yellow and brown sand snake, emerging from a

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gap beneath a rock. I've lost my family, Joe sniffed.

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They've sailed away and left me. Ah, that is a problem,

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said the sand snake. Where were they sailing to? I

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doubt you'd know, sighed Joe. Cairo is a big place.

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How can any one know it all? Why don't you

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try me and see, suggested the sand snake. Joe reluctantly agreed.

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They are going to see something called a Gezer pyramid.

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The dog recalled, whatever that is, I know what it is,

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hissed the snake. You mean the great Pyramid of Gezer.

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I know all the pyramids as well as that Pattern's

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a on my back. I can take you there. Joe

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couldn't believe his luck. Thank you so much, said Joe.

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There's a chance I can still see my family again.

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The sand snake introduced herself as Livia as she guided

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Joe up river. Upon reaching a bridge, they crossed the

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waterway before following the path of a long straight road.

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The sand snake kept well out of the way of

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the thumping feet and heavy tires, and Joe trotted along

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happily behind her. Tell me, Livia said, Joe. What does

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this great pyramid look like? Is it easy to spot? You?

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Tell me, laughed the snake as the sand opened out

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before them. Upon the sand, enormous stone structures with gigantic

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triangular sides towered over the landscape. Are those pyramids, Joe asked.

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They're huge, and we want the biggest of them all,

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grinned the snake. The pyramids were just outside the city,

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on the edge of the desert. They were older than

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almost every other building on Earth, standing amongst ruins and

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the great stone sphinx. Hopefully your humans are around here somewhere,

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said Livia as they arrived at the Great Pyramid of Gezer.

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But there's a lot of ground to cover and lots

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of people. We'd best get looking. The dog and the

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snake walked all the way around the base of the

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Great Pyramid, getting a good close up view of the

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old limestone blocks, but Joe's family were nowhere to be seen. Anything.

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The sand snake asked nothing, Joe sighed, not a hint

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of a smell either. That's disappointing, Livia said, I guess

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there's a chance that we missed them. We did take

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a long time to get here, Joe reasoned, and a

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long time looking around. There's a chance they've moved on.

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Can you recall where they plan to go next? The

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snake asked, hum said the dog, thinking hard. A church.

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I think there are lots of churches in cairo, said Livia.

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Thousands even and thousands more mosques and other places of worship.

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Can you remember any other details to help us narrow

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it down? Yes, nodded Joe. It's a dangling church. It dangles.

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Do you know where it is? The snake looked baffled

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for a moment before a spark of an idea lit

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up her eyes. Do you mean the hanging church? Yes,

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that's it, said Joe, leaping for joy, not dangling hanging.

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Then we'd best get moving, said Livia. We've got to

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head back across the river. Let's go. The two animals

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raced across the sand, leaving the pyramids behind them. They

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passed several water buffalo being herded by two boys, before

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arriving at an extremely busy road jam packed with cars

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and people. We can't go through there, We'll get squished,

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Livia said, in frustration. I'm never going to find my family.

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Joe wailed. Oh how awful, said one of the water buffalo.

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We're going your way, stick with us. The water buffalo

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made their own path through the crowded roadway for no

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other reason than people wanted to stay away from their

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large horns. It allowed Joe and Livia to make good

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progress back to the river. This is where we stop,

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said the water buffalo. We're here to drink. That's okay,

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smiled Joe. It's not so busy now, we'll be all

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right from here. They parted happily, with the dog and

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the snake retracing their path over the bridge. Livia took

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the lead, allowing Joe to enjoy the beautiful scenery, such

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as bustling markets, stunning churches, and enormous mosques. Livia was right,

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there were so many. Then at last they reached the

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Hanging Church. This is it, the sand snake, cried, one

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of the oldest churches in Egypt. I just hope my

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family are here, Joe said. The two animals sneaked into

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the church, searching it from top to bottom. Joe thought

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it was quite stunning, with its high windows and tall columns,

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but sadly there was no sign of his family outside.

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At the foot of the steps, Joe slumped to the ground,

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hot and tired. They're not here, he sobbed. Perhaps they've

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been here already, said the snake. Were they going anywhere else?

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This was it? Joe sniffed, feeling defeated. We went to

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all the places they said they would visit. Now I'll

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never find them. I'll be lost in Cairo forever. He sniffled,

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burying his muzzle under his paws. And nearby camel overheard

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the dog's wines and took pity on him. What's wrong

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with this dog, he asked the sand snake. He's lost

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his family, Livia explained, can't you just go home and

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find them there? The camel asked, That's what I would do,

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But my home is a long way from Cairo, whimpered Joe.

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But they must be sleeping somewhere while they're here, pointed

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out the camel. Can't you look for them there? Joe's

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head shot up. Of course, why didn't I think of that?

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That's where all their things are. That's good, said the

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relieved snake. So where exactly are you staying? Immediately Joe's

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ears dropped. I don't know the name, he whined. That's

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all right, said the camel. Can you remember anything else

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about it? What does it look like? For example, the

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hotel had a red door, Joe recalled. Oh, and it

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was near a palace, the Abdeen Palace Museum, cheered Livia.

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Well done, said the camel, dropping to his knees hop on.

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I'll give you a lift. My name's Wilfrid, said the

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camel as he started walking through the narrow streets. I've

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lived in Cairo my entire life. We'll find that hotel

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of yours, don't you worry. Wilfrid appeared to be sure

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of the way, so for the first time that day,

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Joe let himself relax. He had never been so high up.

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He could see right over all the people's heads as

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he perched upon the camel's hump. Wilfrid took every opportunity

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to tell them a little about the shops, restaurants, and

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museums that they passed. He was forever pointing out interesting

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things and telling them facts. Joe drank it all in.

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It was pretty cool to have a personal tall guide.

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When they eventually reached the Abdeen Palace museum, Joe gave

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a huge sigh of relief. They were close. Now, all

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we need is to find a hotel with a red door,

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grinned Livia. Wilfrid lumbered on, allowing himself to be guided

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by Joe whenever he recognized a sight or smell, until

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there it was the hotel Joe said, as they stood

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before the bright red door. We found it. Wilfrid sank

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down so Joe and Livia could climb off. Thank you

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so much, Joe said, gratefully, that was a lot of fun.

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You're most welcome. Wilfrid winked and thank you, Livia. If

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I hadn't met you this morning, I don't know what

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I would have done, Joe smiled. I'm just glad we

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got you back. Livia replied, I hope your humans are

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inside waiting for you. If either of you ever happened

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to visit London, I'd be more than happy to show

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you around, Joe said, as the red door opened to

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let out a guest. This was his chance to slip inside. Goodbye,

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he cried, and was in. He raced through the hotel,

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dodging people and suitcases as he sniffed out the family's room.

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But when he got there, the door was closed and

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there was no scent of his loved ones within. All

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he could do was curl up here and hope. Joe yelled,

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the voices of the children jolting him. Alert, it's Joe,

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It's Joe. They fell upon him, cuddling and stroking hi

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his furry body. Why he's right here, said Mum in disbelief.

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How did he find his way back here? Dad scratched

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his head, looking puzzled. We've spent all day searching between

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the docks and here, and he was in the hotel

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the whole time, he chuckled. Joe gulped, feeling guilty. They

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hadn't been on the boat trip at all. They must

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have got off to look for him the moment they

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knew he was missing. That's why they weren't at any

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of the places they'd said they'd be, which meant that

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only he had seen all of Cairo's wonderful sights. I'm

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just glad we're all back together, said Mum, giving Joe

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a pat on the head. We'll just have to do

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our trip tomorrow instead again, thought Joe. Oh well, he

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didn't really mind, as this time he'd be with his family.

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Animal fat water buffalo were domesticated over six thousand years

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ago in India, where they soon reached Egypt. They are

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kept for use on small farms for transporting goods, as

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well as for their milk and meat. Egyptian camels are

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called dromedaries and have one hump made of fat. They

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were first domesticated four thousand years ago, where they can

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serve a similar purpose to the water buffalo. Unlike the

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water buffalo, camels are great for riding on two Egyptian

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Sandsnakes are noticeably fast snakes that can chase down their prey.

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This tends to be other snakes and lizards, but can

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include small mammals and frogs too. Thank you for your suggestions, Joe.

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We hope you enjoyed the story, and thank you to

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all of you across the world for listening to it.

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In addition to the five hundred free to listen stories,

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there are over one hundred extra stories for our Premium members,

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the stories are advert free. Join us next time for

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another great animal tale. Good Bye,