Portland Fire & Rescue Receives PETA Award for Saving Stranded Kitten

Tiny Animal Freed From Girder Beneath Bridge in Pre-Dawn Hours

For Immediate Release:
June 26, 2015

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to Portland Fire & Rescue in recognition of its daring pre-dawn rescue of a kitten who was stranded on a girder of the St. John’s Bridge, 200 feet above the Willamette River. A team lowered a firefighter by rope to the kitten’s precarious perch, and she was placed in a bag before being raised to safety. The kitten, who has since been named Lucky, is being cared for by a local animal shelter until she is adopted into a permanent loving home.

“In the City of Portland, our pets are our friends, our family,” said Lt. Rich Tyler. “It’s part of the job that we not only take care of the people in our city, but also our pets.”

PETA is sending the fire department a framed certificate, a box of delicious vegan cookies, and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet—a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape through plant-based meals.

“Thanks to Portland Fire & Rescue’s kindness and determination, this helpless kitten’s terrifying ordeal has a happy ending,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA encourages caring people everywhere to take this story as inspiration to come to the aid of animals in need.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—also reminds all cat guardians to spay and neuter their feline companions and keep them indoors. Cats who are allowed to roam outdoors may catch deadly diseases; be hit by cars; be attacked by dogs or wildlife; become trapped in walls, pipes, crawl spaces, and other dangerous places; or be hurt by cruel people.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.