On Sunday, police officers at Youchang police station in Kaohsiung’s Nanzih District discovered a litter of young kittens. They noticed a trail of paw prints in the station’s basement. The officers later discovered the body of the the kittens’ mother, and believe she was probably killed by a stray dog when foraging for food. Two kind-hearted police officers, Hu Hsu-ming and Tseng Yen-chiu, dipped into their own pockets and arranged for an animal charity to collect the body. The four kittens were left with no mother to look after them, however.
One of the litter of four, a black kitten, was hiding within a gap in the wall of the police station and would not come out, even when tempted by food. After coming off duty, police officers at the station tried to lure the kitten from its hiding place, but to no avail. In the end they had to return home with their tails hanging between their legs.
Concerned that the kitten might starve trapped behind the wall, officer Lin Yen-Tsun drafted in six trainee officers, who took it in turns to try to rescue the kitten. The trainees tried playing audio of meowing cats on their mobile phones, and even tried mimicking a cat’s meow themselves, in an attempt to get the kitten to come out.
Photo: Tsai Ching-hua, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者蔡清華
When the trainees came off duty they tried to care for the kitten as best they could, concerned its life was in danger as it had not eaten for several days. They stood watch beside the wall until the kitten mustered up the courage to pop its head out from behind the wall. Everyone crowded round to help, and between them they successfully managed to rescue the young animal, although one officer received a scratch to their hand in the process.
The police station later posted a message on a local community Facebook page, asking for people to adopt the kittens. Two of the kittens have already found a new home with a cat-loving member of the public, while police officer Hu — who is also a cat lover — has adopted the two remaining kittens.
(Translated by Edward Jones)
Photo: Tsai Ching-hua, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者蔡清華
高雄市楠梓分局右昌派出所為了救援所內一群失母的流浪小貓,全所使出渾身解數輪番上陣動員搶救,足感心!
上週日右昌派出所發現駐地的地下室有小貓的蹤跡,遺憾的是母貓不慎於外出覓食時遭野狗咬傷死亡,熱心警員胡旭銘、曾艷秋自掏腰包通知寵物禮儀公司前往處理,卻留下四隻幼貓孤苦無依。
其中一隻黑色幼貓躲進警方駐地圍牆縫隙,遲遲未見牠出來進食,警方利用勤務之餘多次嘗試誘捕小黑貓仍無功而返。
右昌所警員林晏璁擔心小貓困死牆縫之中,帶領六名實習生輪番上陣搶救小黑貓。
他們除了不斷以手機播放貓叫聲及學貓叫試著引誘讓牠自行出來,實習生們更是趁勤餘時前往關心小黑貓,擔心牠已幾天沒進食而有生命危險,鍥而不捨地守在牆角旁,終於成功使小黑貓卸下心防探出頭來,大家趕緊一擁而上順利救出了小貓,有人還在救小貓過程中不慎遭其爪子抓傷。
警方在臉書地方社團貼文尋求愛心人士認養,成功送養了兩隻幼貓予愛貓人士,身為貓奴的警員胡旭銘亦收養了其中兩隻幼貓。
(自由時報記者蔡清華)
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