|
Press Release
Kitten Beats the
Odds Despite Ordeal
On the Crescent City Connection
Bridge
New Orleans, LA (July 27, 2007) – A
two-month old black kitten found on
the New Orleans Crescent City
Connection Bridge beat the odds and
proves that she does indeed have
nine lives and that she’s not
planning on leaving this life
anytime soon.
Wednesday night the Louisiana SPCA
received a desperate call from a
Good Samaritan who witnessed a
motorist discarding a kitten from
its vehicle as it traveled along the
Crescent City Connection Bridge’s
HOV lane. The Good Samaritan, Gayril
Gibson, was shocked to see someone
so callously discard an animal.
Gibson stopped his vehicle and
searched the area where he believed
the kitten had been tossed.
 Unable to locate the kitten in the
dark, Gibson called the LA/SPCA
animal emergency line and spoke to
LA/SPCA night dispatcher Donald
Pomes. Pomes was concerned it might
be a long shot to find the kitten at
night, but he knew we had to give it
our best shot. LA/SPCA humane
officer Travis Causey was dispatched
to the scene. Gibson returned to the
scene to meet Officer Causey and
they searched the area with
flashlights but were unable to
locate the missing kitten.
The search continued again on
Thursday morning and Gibson joined
LA/SPCA humane officers once again
to search the area. Crescent City
Connection Bridge police were also
standing by to stop traffic if
necessary. After searching for
almost two hours, the group
disbanded with the hope that somehow
the kitten had survived and would
ultimately be found.
At approximately 9 p.m. Thursday
night, LA/SPCA dispatcher Donald
Pomes received a call from Lt. David
Butler and a fellow officer of the
Crescent City Connection police unit
that the kitten had not only been
found, but was still alive. Officers
spotted the kitten on the bridge and
after carefully approaching her they
were able to reach out and grab the
kitten and put her into their patrol
car. They immediately brought the
kitten to the LA/SPCA.
Far from being docile and skittish,
this kitten was full of lots of vim
and vigor as Pomes described it.
“That little thing was hissing and
just a strong little thing.” Pomes
contacted Gibson to let him know the
good news and an elated Gibson came
down to the shelter in the middle of
the night to visit the feline that
had so captured his heart. Pomes is
also grateful to the Crescent City
Connection police for going beyond
the call of duty.
Gibson’s role as Good Samaritan
hasn’t ended with the kitten’s
rescue. He’s already found a home
for her and plans to cover all of
the kitten’s medical costs, spaying,
and other needs. Outside of being
understandably traumatized after her
ordeal, she is reportedly in good
health. As for her future, this
tenacious kitten has found lots of
love and a new life leaps and bounds
above her previous one.
This LA/SPCA reports that this marks
the third known incident in recent
weeks where kittens have been
discarded along the road. On July 3,
2006 a male kitten was found in the
400 block of N. Claiborne after
being thrown from a car. That kitten
is now being cared for in the
shelter’s clinic and will be up for
adoption soon. On June 20, an
LA/SPCA staff member, Heather Rigney,
spotted a kitten on the HOV inbound
lane to New Orleans. In that
incident Rigney called 911 and the
LA/SPCA. The kitten was picked up by
Crescent City Connection police and
handed over to LA/SPCA’s responding
unit. Tragically, the kitten's
sibling was hit and killed.
Animal dumping, another form of
animal cruelty, is unfortunately a
tragic occurrence that animal
welfare organizations deal with
across the country. To report animal
dumping or any form of animal
cruelty to the LA/SPCA please call
504-368-5191, ext. 100. Reports can
also be
reported online.
#
# #
Back to
News & Press Releases
|
