A kitten was rescued from the trunk of a tree thanks to alert school children
The setting is perhaps reminiscent of an adventure of Alice in Wonderland, but the tiny kitten that was trapped within the hollow tree trunk, was smiling again like the Cheshire Cat only after it was rescued thanks to the alertness of school children.
The incident occurred on one of the last days of classes at the Dalet public school on Weizmann Street in Tel Aviv. Pupils, who were sitting on a bench in the school yard, heard the howling of a cat and began to search for its source, since they thought that the cat was stuck up a tree. After searching, the children knew that the kitten was trapped inside the hollow trunk of a tree, but they were unable to rescue it.
The school children contacted the fire department and the municipal hotline of Tel Aviv, but the answer that they received was that these units go out on rescue missions only in the event of a life or death emergency. The school children did not give up, but telephoned the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel. Skilled representatives of the Society set out immediately for the location, and within minutes they succeeded in freeing the kitten and bringing it to the facilities of the Society. The kitten was exhausted from its attempts to climb the inner wall of the tree trunk, but after it received special food it recovered quickly.
The kitten, a two and a half month old calico, which was given the name Alma, is very friendly and is now awaiting a warm home. Anyone interested in additional details is asked to come to the Society or call: *4553.
We wish to thank the school children who did everything possible in order to help the kitten. Together with the joy over the rescue of the kitten, we are very sad about the total apathy shown by the municipality and the rescue forces – forces that are supposed to take action towards this goal on the basis of their positions and their authority.