Two stray kittens are alive this weekend thanks to a combined rescue effort by Amarillo hospital employees, good Samaritans, firefighters, wildlife rehab volunteers and a city councilman.
The rescue came recently when a woman named Brittany, an employee of BSA Hospital, heard kittens crying before her shift and posted it on social media asking for help, according to Stephanie Brady, executive director of Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (WWWRC).
The post led a Good Samaritan, Sabrina, to contact WWWRC about 6:30 p.m. Friday, about the two tiny feral kittens trapped at the bottom of a muli-level stormwater runoff system inside the BSA parking lot.
When Stephanie was able to leave her shift, she grabbed a team member, Shaley, and they headed straight over to the site of the kittens’ entrapment and saw Sabrina there, along with another caring stranger, Ronda and her family who were all trying to figure out a way to save them.
The BSA parking lot is three-stories high and the kittens were trapped at the very bottom inside a cinder-block enclosed stormwater runoff welded metal shutters, according to the post on WWWRC’s website.
The team of rescuers all agreed they were not leaving until those kittens were freed. If they weren’t saved, they would starve to death or drown in another heavy rainstorm.
Sabrina had notified security and maintenance at the hospital but they do not service parking garages. Brady reached out to Amarillo City Councilman Tim Reid to see if he had some connections that could help.
The only rescue that would work involved someone rappelling down, but massive steel grates covered the opening which would first have to be removed.
Councilman Reid quickly connected with the AFD Training Battalion Chief Lance Vinson and, within a short time, the AFD Technical Rescue Team arrived and proceeded to go to work.
Brady said their team was incredible and amazing to watch with so many moving parts going into the preparation for the rescue.
“While firemen are known for being tough, tonight they showed they also have incredibly big hearts,” said Brady.
The WWWRC team gave the firefighters extra heavy welding gloves and a pet carrier, knowing the kittens would be terrified and “extra spicy,” according to Brady.
A short time later, around 10:30 p.m., the kittens were safely rescued and by Saturday were resting in a quiet room at the rehabilitation center, away from the wildlife patients. Their veterinary team will perform complete examinations to be sure they are ready for their next chapter of life.
And to top it all off, Sabrina and her family are adopting one kitten and Rhonda and her family are adopting the other.
Because of the efforts of all involved, the volunteers said the two tiny kittens have a bright future and the reward of doing something caring and worthwhile.
“It takes a village,” said Brady.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: How Amarillo firefighters, citizens, WWWRC saved two trapped kittens
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News | USA TODAY Network
