Tiny Animal Had to Be Cut Free After Becoming Stuck in Rusty Pipe
For Immediate Release:
June 29, 2011
Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382
Redding, Calif. — According to news reports, on June 15, a man dropped off a rusty 2.5-inch diameter pipe with a tiny kitten tightly stuck inside at the City of Redding Fire Department's Fire Station No. 4 on South Bonnyview Road. After seeing that the kitten couldn't move, Capt. Mike Anderson and department engineer John Clark realized that although they had plenty of high powered equipment for cutting through machinery, there was nothing on hand for delicately extricating the kitten from the pipe without risking injury. So they called the city Facilities Maintenance division, which dispatched Ralph White and Gary Brown, who used a hand-operated pipe cutter to carefully sever the 7-foot section of pipe at the precise location of the kitten. (Click here to view video.) The rescue was an unqualified success, and Piper—as the little kitten was subsequently named—is doing fine.
For saving Piper's life, the City of Redding Fire Department and the city's Facilities Maintenance division will each receive PETA's Compassionate Action Award.
"The firefighters and the maintenance crew showed great ingenuity and compassion in saving Piper," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Redding is very fortunate to have city employees who are ready to serve not only human residents but also frightened homeless cats."
The fire department and the facilities maintenance division will receive framed certificates and delicious vegan chocolates.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.