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Narrative Writing Assignment: A Rescue Story

Posted on: 02-2-2013 by: Brian Wasko

This assignment is narrative — meaning you are going to tell a story. Of course, there are many kinds of stories and deciding which kind to write might be a little overwhelming, so we have narrowed it down for you.

This story is to be a “rescue story.” It will involve at least these two characters:

Someone in danger — needing rescue.
A rescuer — the hero who tries to save the day.

Keep it brief. Sometimes it’s easy to get carried away in a story like this, so be careful not to go too long (stay under 1,000 words). Focus on the rescue, not the events leading up to it. Do your best to capture the reader’s attention and create suspense. Don’t be predictable. Try to surprise the reader.

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Below are some suggestions for rescue situations. You may choose one from the list, choose one and change it up, or create one that is entirely original.

A tiger is trapped in a pit.
An old fisherman is lost at sea after a storm.
A bank robber is trapped in the vault he had been trying to rob.
A rich man’s daughter is held captive by kidnappers.
A lone mountain climber hangs off a cliff by his fingertips.
A soldier in a bunker is surrounded by the enemy.
A hamster is in a pet store cage.
A vacationing family has run out of gas in the desert.
A skier is buried under an avalanche.
An astronaut’s tether has broken during a spacewalk.

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Categories: Writing Assignments/Prompts Tags: . rescue story , narrative , narrative writing , prompt , story , writing , writing assignment , writing prompt

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Brian Wasko Brian is the founder and president of WriteAtHome.com. One of his passions is to teach young people how to write better. View all posts by Brian Wasko

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I know I am late but there should be more writers like you . My teacher isb reall impressed and says that I am good at written as well as sopken . Still , I wanted a bit more on RESCUE story and it helped me

The Oregonian reports that Oregon Partnership’s staff is stunned at the unusual surge in which they received five calls within two hours of people thinking about suicide.

Let people read it, of course!

I’ve had people suggest in the past that I provide some kind of venue for publishing stuff like this. It’s a good idea. I could run a story contest or just agree to publish the top three submission…something like that.

I’ll give it some more thought. Do you think there would be interest?

I post stuff like this regularly because lots of readers here are teachers and homeschooling moms who are sometimes looking for writing assignment ideas for their kids.

I think there would be interest, yes — at least, I’m interested. =]

Noted. Thanks!

Yes, I would be very interested. 😀

If one *does* use the prompt, what should one do with it?

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A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival

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Introduction

The anticipation of adventure.

From Tranquility to Turmoil

A glimmer of hope, reflection and resolution.

A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival. (2016, Jun 25). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/rescue-at-sea-essay

"A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival." StudyMoose , 25 Jun 2016, https://studymoose.com/rescue-at-sea-essay

StudyMoose. (2016). A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/rescue-at-sea-essay [Accessed: 25 Aug. 2024]

"A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival." StudyMoose, Jun 25, 2016. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://studymoose.com/rescue-at-sea-essay

"A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival," StudyMoose , 25-Jun-2016. [Online]. Available: https://studymoose.com/rescue-at-sea-essay. [Accessed: 25-Aug-2024]

StudyMoose. (2016). A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/rescue-at-sea-essay [Accessed: 25-Aug-2024]

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A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival essay

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50 Ways to Tell a (Rescue) Story: 7 Tips for Writers

by Jeff Campbell, TWC Instructor

One good hook? That’s hard enough to come up with. Fifty good hooks, one after another, for 300 pages?

That’s the daunting challenge I faced when writing my forthcoming book Daisy to the Rescue (Zest Books). It’s a collection of fifty real-life stories in which animals save human lives and what those events reveal about the minds and hearts of animals.

Even worse? The book is targeted for teens, whose attention spans, my editor often reminded me, have now been truncated to the mosquito-small lifespan of a 140-character tweet.

Of course, that’s not really true. Everyone’s attention spans are shorter today, and it’s always tough crafting tight, compelling stories that grab and hold readers and leave them wanting more.

In my case, forty-nine more.

But even with an inherently dramatic premise—such as dolphins and dogs fighting sharks and cougars to save people—I still worried. After Lassie saves Timmy from the well once, how many times can you keep going to that well—that is, repeating yourself—before readers start thumbing their devices and not your pages?

Here are seven lessons I learned in the attempt :

Recast the hero: I chose my fifty stories to feature as many different species as possible. Dogs may be the most prolific life-saving animal, but the book would get boring unless “Lassie” was also a parrot, a rabbit, a kangaroo, a beluga whale, and so on. In other words, if your protagonist feels like a stereotype, switch identities.
Vary the plot: Stories need more than a costume change. Success, to me, was to keep readers asking: How many ways can a human be in danger, and how many ways can an animal intervene? Whatever your premise, look for opportunities to twist and complicate it. Yes, I told one classic tale of a dog barking to get help. After that, dogs had to be sniffing cancer, riding surfboards, or performing the Heimlich maneuver to get in.
Research, research, research: The devil is in the details, as they say. Good research provides both surface and depth. I needed raw material to flavor each story, but I also needed other perspectives. In my book, the real purpose is to continually ask why: Why would this animal save this person? I framed rescues within the larger context of science, the species, and human-animal relationships. This required research, as all nonfiction does, but the principle applies to fiction. What are your story’s elusive imponderables? Its wider implications? Keep digging until you unearth something juicy and intriguing.
Give away the ending: In Daisy, there is no question: the animal always saves the day. Does that kill the suspense? I don’t think so. In fact, I was liberated by knowing the ending. I focused on the simple drama of how each rescue happened without tying myself into narrative knots manufacturing cliff-hangers or outwitting the reader. Most importantly, this built emotional trust. Despite the life-threatening situations, readers could freely invest in each hero. Try it sometime. Give away the ending and see if it loosens your storytelling .
Recast your hook: On the other hand, readers knew the ending, so I sure couldn’t start in obvious, expected places. To keep things fresh, I varied every opening, particularly the moment in time—stories started years before, moments before, in the middle of danger, and years later. I opened with a joke, a quiz, a quote, someone’s disbelief, the person’s biography, the animal’s adoption, a scientific controversy, the cultural impact, and even an imagined BBC sitcom. Anything to make readers feel they were taking a different road.
Trust your intuition: With fifty stories to write, I didn’t have time to worry every narrative choice. I was forced to trust my intuition. I found that, if I’d done my homework properly, my gut rarely led me astray. If inspiration flagged, this was an inevitable sign that I either needed more research or to replace that story. Pay attention to that little voice.
Write with passion: Of course, passion is the key ingredient in all writing. In every story, write something that makes you laugh, cry, or both. Readers will only care as much as you do. So if you want them to listen, and keep listening, even if you’re saying the same thing fifty times, speak with your heart.

Jeff Campbell is the author of Daisy to the Rescue, as well as coauthor of over a dozen Lonely Planet travel guides. He is also a book editor, and he teaches creative writing to kids in Morristown and for The Writers Circle.

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5 of History’s Most Dramatic Rescues

By: Erin Blakemore

Updated: May 8, 2023 | Original: July 10, 2018

'It's been a bit of a long shift,' joked shift foreman Luis Urzúa (in green) after being greeted by Chile's President Sebastián Piñera. Urzúa was the last of the 33 miners to be successfully lifted to the surface after being trapped 700 meters underground for two months in the San José Copper-Gold mine, on October 13, 2010 in Copiapó, Chile.

It took 18 days and the efforts of dozens of divers and rescue personnel, but 12 boys and their soccer coach were finally rescued from the cave complex where they were trapped by floods during Thailand’s monsoon season. Here are five other dramatic rescues that were just as riveting:

A group of miners spends 68 days below the surface

It was an ordeal with an unprecedented international audience: the struggle of 33 Chilean miners to survive more than two months underground after a shaft of the copper mine in which they labored in Copiapó, Chile crumbled in August 2010. As rescue workers attempted to retrieve the men, other mine shafts they used for the work caved in. Meanwhile, the men were stuck behind 770,000 tons of rock as their families waited breathlessly, many in tent camps on the surface, for word that they had survived.

As the miners huddled in a room they called “the Refuge,” they were able to communicate with the outside world through a borehole dug by rescue crews. The trapped men communicated briefly with their families through the hole and were even advised by NASA with information on medicine, nutrition and the psychological effects of spending so much time beneath the surface. After a lengthy drilling process, the rescue itself began and all 33 of the men were pulled to safety. Years later, the miners and their rescuers still face the emotional demons of the post-traumatic stress disorder that remains from their ordeal.

A baby spends 58 hours at the bottom of a well and emerges a household name

In October 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure became a household name when she stepped into an abandoned water well at her aunt’s house in Midland, Texas. Stuck 22 feet beneath the surface in a slender well shaft, she was trapped in the well for two and a half days as rescue workers struggled to determine how best to extract her.

As the media circled, rescue workers considered and abandoned a number of plans before deciding to drill another well shaft next to the well, then create a tunnel between the two shafts. The rescue played out on live television, creating accusations of a media circus.

“Baby Jessica,” as she is now known, suffered only minor injuries, including the loss of a toe to gangrene after the rescue. Today , she’s a mother in Texas; most of the trust fund set up for her after the ordeal was lost during the 2008 stock market crash.

Rescuers managed to sidestep a Titanic-style disaster

When the SS Andrea Doria collided with a Swedish ocean liner in 1956, it could have been another Titanic. The Italian liner hit the MS Stockholm due to operator error during a foggy afternoon in the waters off of Nantucket Island, and the nearly head-on collision couldn’t be averted by panicked crew members. Onboard Andrea Doria, passengers felt a huge jolt along with the sound of clanging metal. In one of the lounges, the ship’s orchestra was playing “Arrivederci, Roma” when they were hurled from the stage by the sheer force of the crash.

As the Andrea Doria began to sink, passengers realized that its lifeboats had been all but destroyed due to the location of the collision.

As crew members and workers struggled to figure out how to load the remaining lifeboats, other ships in the vicinity hurried to help rescue the passengers and crew. The Titanic disaster had been characterized by a sluggish response and a lack of help from other ships, but this sinking ended up being a triumph of teamwork and organizational skill. Together, at least five other ships cooperated to rescue 1,663 crew members and passengers before the Andrea Doria capsized and sank. Fifty-one people died as a result of the collision, but the rescue is widely considered one of the most successful of all time.

A nearly suicidal raid freed more than 500 prisoners of war

During World War II, the Pacific Theater threw up a gauntlet of seemingly insurmountable challenges to the Allies. One of them was the Japanese prison camp near Cabanatuan City, where hundreds of Americans and Filipinos were incarcerated after the brutal Bataan Death March . Conditions inside the camp were dire, and as the war dragged on and the Japanese army began to execute prisoners in other camps, those who remained feared they, too, would be killed.

Then, the Sixth Army staged a rescue operation that was almost suicidal in scope. With the aid of Filipino guerrillas, Army Rangers managed to get 35 miles behind Japanese lines, only to learn that scouts hadn’t been able to scope out the camp itself because of heavy Japanese activity in the area. The locale was crawling with enemy forces, but Rangers snuck into the camp on January 30, 1945, overwhelmed the guards and managed to move the prisoners—many of whom were so sick or suspicious they wouldn’t come out. In all, 510 prisoners were released with just two Army casualties. Today, the daring rescue mission is known as “The Great Raid” and is celebrated as one of the bravest of all time.

A single man risked everything to save a Mexican village

Jesús García was just a railroad brakeman, but on November 7, 1907 he became a hero of one of history’s most daring rescues. That afternoon, the 23-year-old was resting during a stop in Nacozari, a town in Sonora, Mexico, when workers notified him of a fire that had broken out atop one of the train cars. This would have been alarming on a normal day, but García knew that the train cars in question contained dynamite due to be delivered to a nearby mine. If it were to explode, it would take out not just the train, but possibly cause a catastrophic fire in the rail yard as well.

As his fellow workers panicked, García sprang into action. He jumped onto the train alone and started to reverse it downhill. Four miles later, the entire train exploded. Though 13 people did die, the number was far less than it would have been if García hadn’t reacted quickly. All that was left of García was a single boot, but he wasn’t soon forgotten. The young brakeman soon became the stuff of legend, the subject of poems and songs. Memorials to García sprang up all over Mexico, and Nacozari changed its name to Nacozari de García.

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from “The Amazing Penguin Rescue”

By Lauren Tarshis

Imagine you are an African penguin living on an island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. You live with tens of thousands of other penguins on a rocky beach. It’s a typical day there in June—cold and windy. The beach echoes with penguin noises, barks and honks and brays. Some of your fellow penguins fight for territory. Others cuddle with their mates and dote on their chicks.

You’re hungry, so you head down to the water’s edge. You waddle on tiny feet, and your wings are too stubby for flying. But in the water, you can swim faster and dive deeper than any bird on Earth. As you plunge into the sea, your wings become powerful underwater propellers. You shoot through the water at 12 miles an hour, a black-and-white blur, snatching sardines from the surface, swallowing them whole, then catching more. Your thick feathers protect you from the freezing water.

You stay in the sea for hours until your belly is full. Then you turn to head back to shore.

That’s when something goes wrong.

As you come to the surface for air, the water feels unfamiliar. It is thick, and it burns your eyes. You try to swim away, but suddenly your wings are too heavy to lift and you can barely propel yourself. Your body wobbles and rolls. You feel bitterly cold. You shiver and gasp for breath.

What you don’t know is that just hours ago, a cargo ship called Treasure hit a reef and split apart. As it sank, 1,300 tons of toxic crude oil gushed into the sea. Oil surrounds your breeding ground—the largest African penguin breeding ground in the world.

You are not the only penguin that has become soaked with the poisonous oil. Thousands of others have been trapped in the massive oil slick.

The impact of oil on a penguin (or any bird) is immediate and devastating. You are shivering because the oil has caused your layers of feathers to separate. Freezing water now lashes at your sensitive skin. Your eyes hurt because the oil has burned them. Your wings are heavy because they are coated with oil.

But your instinct for survival is strong. Somehow you struggle back to shore, fighting the waves and the current. The trip, usually effortless, is an agonizing ordeal. You manage to stagger onto the beach and back to your nest. You lick and peck at your feathers, desperate to clean them. Finally you give up. There is nothing to do but stand there, terrified, dazed, and silent.

Strange Creatures

Then the beach is invaded by enormous creatures.

They are humans, but you don’t know that. You have never seen a human before. These men and women know what you don’t: that this oil spill is a catastrophe for you and your species. Some of them have devoted their lives to helping birds like you, birds caught in oil spills and other human-made disasters. They have helped with bird rescues around the world. All they care about is saving your life.

But how could you know this?

As the humans swarm the beach, you are overcome with panic. A man catches you. You lash out viciously with your powerful jaws and razor-sharp beak. You bite his arm, ripping his skin through the fabric of his thick coat. He doesn’t let go. You strike again, biting his leg, inflicting a wound that will leave a scar for the rest of his life. But he cares more about you than himself. All across the beach, dozens of people are capturing penguins, enduring excruciating bites and wing slaps as they load you and the other penguins into crates. It is painful, exhausting work. The sight of all of these scared and Injured penguins is heartbreaking to the humans. Some-grown men and women-fight tears.

But they don't g ive up. Te ns of thousands of penguins are in dange r. And they Intend to save every single one. T en m i les from the island, outside the city of Cape Tow n, a t eam of workers and volunteers has transformed a warehouse into a penguin resc ue center. They have worked with astonish i ng speed . T he warehouse ho l ds h u ndreds of round enclosures, each l arge enough for 100 pengu i ns. T here are addit i onal areas where penguins will be washed. One room is fi lled w i th ten tons of frozen fish, the amount needed da i ly to feed the pengu i ns . Acquiring this enormous q u anti ty of fi sh every day w i ll be one of the workers' grea t cha l lenges.

Actually, everything i s a chal len ge . S i mply getting o ne penguin to eat I s a monumental task. In the wild, penguins hunt fo r sardines and gobb l e them up while they are sti l l alive and w ri ggl i ng. These penguins won't accept t he dead fish offered by human hands; wo r kers have to force-feed them . They must restrain a pe n gu i n , pry its beak open, and shove the fish down its throat. Feeding one penguin can take an ho u r . Feeding all of the pengu i ns takes an army of workers 15 hours.

And then there is the smell that fi l ls the warehouse-a combination of penguin droppings, dead sardines, and human sweat. It is a stench so powerful t ha t many peop l e throw up when they first arrive .

But not even the sme ll keeps peop l e away.

As news of the rescue effort spreads, hundreds, and then thousands, of volunteers flo ck to the warehouse, eager to he lp. T hey are a diverse group, inc l ud i ng ri ch women from fancy neigh borhoods and poor tee nagers from Cape Town's st r eets. Some have experience help i ng w i l d li fe; some have never even owned a pet. All of them have one th i ng i n common: a m i ss i on to save as many penguins as poss i b l e.

The Amazing Penguin Rescue

By Dyan deNapoli as told to Natalie Smith

The summer of 2000, I had just finished my rounds tending to the New England Aquarium’s 60 penguins when I got an urgent call from South Africa. The manager of SANCCOB, a seabird rescue center in Cape Town, was on the line. The region’s penguins were in trouble. The cargo ship MV Treasure had sunk off the coast of Cape Town, creating an oil spill. Thirteen hundred tons of fuel oil were flowing near Robben Island, right in the middle of the African penguins’ primary habitat. In a matter of days, thick, toxic liquid had covered about 20,000 penguins. Without swift help, the seabirds would have no chance for survival.

SANCCOB had launched a massive rescue operation for the oiled penguins. Volunteers were showing up by the thousands, but they had no experience. The center needed penguin keepers to train the volunteers. Would I help?

Two days later, I boarded a plane to South Africa. I was about to take part in what would become the largest animal rescue operation ever attempted.

A Startling Silence

Just outside Cape Town, a large warehouse had been turned into a rescue center for the oiled penguins. The rescuers had set up makeshift pools, which held about 100 oiled birds each. Hundreds of pools covered the floor.

When I first walked into the building, I couldn’t believe my ears. Normally, African penguins are vocal birds. I expected to walk in to a chorus of honking and squawking. Instead, the center sounded like a library. Only the hushed voices of people could be heard. The penguins were dead silent.

I felt overwhelmed. My heart ached for the distressed birds. Cleaning them all seemed like an impossible task. But we had to carry on like doctors in an emergency room. There was no time for doubt.

Cleaning oil off a penguin isn’t easy. It takes two people—one to hold the penguin, another to do the washing. The bird is sprayed with a degreaser and scrubbed with warm, soapy water. Delicate areas around the face must be brushed with a toothbrush. Then the bird gets rinsed under a hose. The whole process takes about an hour. Even with more than 12,500 volunteers, it took a month to bathe all 20,000 birds at the center.

The Spreading Bill

While workers bathed penguins at the rescue center, another crisis was developing. Oil from the spill had started moving north toward Dassen Island. Tens of thousands of penguins were in the oil’s path. But we already had our hands full with 20,000 recovering birds. Supplies were running low. If any more birds were oiled, we wouldn’t have enough resources to save them.

One researcher came up with an idea: What if the Dassen penguins were temporarily moved out of harm’s way? The method had never been tried before. Experts decided to give it a chance. Workers rounded up a large number of the penguins on Dassen Island and released them near Port Elizabeth, 500 miles away. The hope was that by the time the seabirds swam home, the oil would be gone. The plan worked! Another 20,000 penguins were saved.

Amazing Rescue

The entire penguin rescue operation took about three months. In the end, more than 90 percent of the oiled penguins were successfully returned to the wild. In a previous large-scale penguin rescue, only half of the oiled birds survived. We could hardly believe that our efforts worked!

But for me, the most inspiring part was the work of the volunteers. Rescuing penguins isn’t glamorous. The stench of the rescue center—a mix of penguin droppings and dead fish—made people feel sick. The scratches and bites of terrified birds covered volunteers’ arms. As the Penguin Lady, I’m used to facing such hazards to care for the animals I love. What I didn’t realize was how many other people care for penguins too.

Update on Penguin Rescue Efforts from Oil Spill in South Atlantic

This is a follow-up to an earlier diary about the threat posed by oil spilled by a freighter that broke up off Nightingale Island, home to approximately half of the world's endangered Northern Rockhopper penguin population.

Here is a brief recap of key events. On March 16, for reasons no one has been able to determine, a fully loaded freighter containing soybeans slammed into the rocks off Nightingale Island in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago (a World Heritage site) in the south Atlantic. The freighter broke in half and sank, dumping at least 1500 tons of fuel oil in the seas, which formed a heavy oil slick around the island, threatening marine life. The penguins attracted the most attention as they are a critically endangered. Because of the remote location, it took wildlife rescue teams nearly a week to reach the island by boat and set up operations. Wildlife biologists estimate that half of the 20,000 penguin colony have had some exposure to the oil and over 300 oiled penguins have already died.

Thanks to outreach and updates by marine biologist David Guggenheim, the difficult wildlife rescue operation is starting to get broader attention by NGOs and the media. CNN has finally covered the story.

This tragedy has been filled with unsung acts of heroism large and small. I want to sing their praises.

Shortly after the freighter ran aground, the cruise ship Prince Albert and fishing vessel Edinburgh responded to the distress signal and assisted in the difficult task of evacuating the 22 crew members of the MS Oliva (Valetta) before it broke apart and sank. A rescue team from the Prince Albert used small pontoon vessels to reach the stricken ship, navigating rough seas and rocks in the process. The crew members were brought to the Edinburgh, which was small enough to dock on the island.

The residents of the island and the wildlife rescue teams have been working around the clock to save the penguins and other marine animals affected by the oil. There are four major tasks required to save the penguin colony and other affected wildlife.

Locate and retrieve oiled animals. This means using small boats in heavy seas to find the animals in the water, on rocks, and in remote coves. While plucking the penguins from the water is relatively easy, getting to the animals on sea-splashed and oil-covered rocks is quite another matter.

At last report, over 3000 oiled penguins have been rescued, along with sea birds and seals.

Treat the affected animals as quickly as possible to reduce ingestion of oil. This requires washing the feathers with detergent to remove oil and then coaxing them to drink fluids, vitamins and charcoal to absorb ingested oil. It is a labor of love that means working every waking hour for the residents and several dozen wildlife rescue specialists.

Once treated the less severely affected penguins are taken to the island's swimming pool, which has been emptied, partially filled with fresh water, and cleaned frequently.

The more severely affected penguins and other sea birds are being taken to warehouses and specially built sheds. These animals require more care and observation. They also must be kept warm with heaters or infrared bulbs to prevent pneumonia. The freighter crew has been spending their time building the pens and rehabilitation sheds.

Pen and house the rest of colony to prevent exposure to oil. With molting season ending, the penguins' instinct is to head for the seas to forage for food.

Feed the entire colony of 20,000 penguins. A large fishing vessel has been working continuously since the crisis began to fish for the penguins. The seas have been particularly rough and island residents have emptied their freezers to feed the birds. By the way, fishing is the primary occupation among residents. When they donate the contents of their freezers, they are emptying their own larders and wallets.

“Update on Penguin Rescue Efforts from Oil Spill in South Atlantic” © Kos Media, LLC. “Kos” and “Daily Kos” are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC.

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The Best Wilderness Survival Strategies, Based on 103 Successful Rescue Stories

How people get lost (and found) in the outdoors

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Harrowing survival stories can feel like the lifeblood of outdoor culture, with the image of the gnarled outdoors person spinning tales over a campfire about “that time I almost died” serving as a kind of social currency in the backcountry. It’s a tricky line to tow, as we intermittently validate and admonish adventurers who get lost, and hopefully learn from the past mistakes of others and how to avoid them.

Until recently, finding in-depth aggregate data on the most common causes of wilderness rescues and best practices for how the rescued survive was difficult and piecemeal, with only a few academic papers and notable organizations like the American Alpine Club releasing accident reports . Earlier this year, travel website SmokyMountains.com launched a self-funded comprehensive analysis of 103 successful Search and Rescue (SAR) attempts in the U.S. and Canada, taken from news articles dating between 1994 and 2018. Of course, in a perfect world no one would ever need a SAR team, but this database and splashy infographic titled “Safe & Found,” gives a clearer (and sometimes surprising) picture of how most hikers get lost and found again.

“By far, the most important takeaway is don’t wander off the trail,” says David Angotti, founder of SmokyMountains.com. According to his team’s research, 41 percent of the 103 SAR cases resulted from hikers wandering off trail, as many as the next three categories—bad weather, falling, and separation from the group—combined. Injury, darkness, and equipment failure rounded out the pack, at seven, six, and five percent, respectively.

Angotti and his team carefully scanned each of the 103 articles that met the study’s criteria of being covered by a reputable news source during the allotted time frame. They then broke the information into easy-to-decipher categories, putting a strong emphasis on the four biggest survival needs (shelter, water, warmth, and food). The team then organized the findings to illustrate how those requiring SAR were able to survive. Many of the details are surprising, like the experience of Gilbert Dewey Gaedcke , who lost his way in a lava field near Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano in 2005 and squeezed water out of clumps of moss to survive for five days until rescue came. “I put my hand on a tree and found something. It felt spongy. And that ended up saving my life,” Gaedcke told CNN.

When Annette Poitras , another study member, fell and injured herself while walking in British Columbia in 2017, she was exposed to three days of torrential downpour with only her three dogs to keep her safe. Poitras credited her survival to her boxer, Roxy, for nestling against her body for warmth every night and ultimately alerting the rescue team with loud barking. “She was barking and barking,” Poitras told Global News. “I was too weak, I couldn’t call out.”

One of the most jarring revelations of the study was what some people ate to survive, says Angotti. One man , when stranded in the backcountry of Western Quebec for 90 days in 2013, was forced to kill his dog for food. Others who found themselves in arid, desert environments resorted to drinking their own urine. Multiple people ate bugs to survive, says Angotti, such as Greig Haim , who, after breaking his leg in Kings Canyon, says he ate “everything that would let me catch it: two crickets, five or six moths, eight or ten large ants, and three or four water bugs.”

“The number-one mistake I see is lack of preparation,” says Andrew Herrington in the study’s infographic. A Search and Rescue team leader in Great Smoky Mountains, Herrington was one of the expert interviews Angott worked with to provide survival tips for “Safe & Found.” His advice? Always carry the Ten Essentials , tell your trip plan to two trusted people, download an offline GPS app , and wear high-quality outdoor clothing, like merino wool and GORE-TEX shells.

Yes, the infographic released with the study is supposed to be fun and entertaining, says Angotti, but educating the public was his main priority. “If this study and the interactive graphics lead to hiking safety, we have succeeded in our goal.”

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8 Most Inspiring Animal Rescue Mission Stories

Animal rescue missions play a crucial role in ensuring the welfare and well-being of our furry, feathery, and scaly friends. These missions are often daring endeavors, where dedicated individuals and organizations risk their lives to save animals in need. Each rescue mission has its own unique story and set of challenges, but they all share a common goal – to provide a second chance at life for those who cannot speak for themselves.

The Importance of Animal Rescue Missions

Animal rescue missions are not just about saving individual animals; they have a much broader impact on society as a whole. By rescuing animals in need, these missions bring attention to issues such as animal abuse, neglect, and habitat destruction. They serve as a reminder that all living creatures deserve compassion, care, and respect.

Moreover, animal rescue missions serve as a source of inspiration and hope for people around the world. They remind us of the incredible power of empathy and the capacity for humans to make a positive difference in the lives of animals.

Understanding the Role of Animal Rescue Organizations

Animal rescue organizations are at the forefront of these life-saving missions. They tirelessly work to rescue animals from dangerous situations, provide them with medical care, shelter, and ultimately find them loving homes. These organizations often rely on the support of volunteers, donations, and partnerships with other animal welfare groups.

These organizations play a vital role in not only rescuing animals but also rehabilitating them. Many animals that come into their care have experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect. Through patient and compassionate care, these organizations help these animals heal both physically and emotionally.

In addition, animal rescue organizations work to address the root causes of animal suffering. They advocate for stricter laws and regulations to protect animals from cruelty and exploitation. They also promote responsible pet ownership, educating the public about the importance of spaying and neutering pets, as well as the benefits of adopting from shelters rather than buying from breeders.

The Impact of Rescue Missions on Animal Welfare

Rescue missions have a profound impact on the welfare of animals. They provide an immediate lifeline to animals in distress, giving them a chance to escape danger and receive the care they desperately need. Without these missions, many animals would be left to suffer or face untimely deaths.

Furthermore, rescue missions not only save individual animals but also contribute to the overall improvement of animal welfare. By rescuing and rehabilitating animals, these missions demonstrate the resilience and capacity for recovery that animals possess. This can inspire others to believe in the possibility of change and take action to improve the lives of animals in their own communities.

Animal rescue missions also raise public awareness about the broader issues affecting animal welfare. They shed light on the various forms of animal abuse and exploitation that exist, encouraging individuals and communities to speak out against such practices. Through education and advocacy, these missions strive to create a society that values and protects all animals.

In conclusion, animal rescue missions play a critical role in not only saving individual animals but also in creating a more compassionate and humane society. They bring attention to the issues of animal abuse, neglect, and habitat destruction. They inspire people to take action and make a positive difference in the lives of animals. By supporting animal rescue organizations and participating in rescue missions, we can all contribute to the welfare and well-being of animals around the world.

Story 1: The Dramatic Elephant Rescue in Thailand

The perilous situation.

In a remote part of Thailand, a tragic incident unfolded when a group of elephants fell into a deep ravine. The treacherous terrain left them stranded and in desperate need of help. Their survival depended on the swift action of dedicated animal rescue teams.

As news of the stranded elephants spread, concerned locals and animal lovers from all over Thailand rallied together to support the rescue efforts. Donations poured in, providing the necessary funds to organize a large-scale operation.

The Rescue Operation

Animal rescue organizations from across the country joined forces to save the stranded elephants. With careful planning and an unwavering determination, they devised a plan to hoist the elephants to safety using cranes and harnesses. It was a daring and arduous task that required the expertise of skilled professionals and the cooperation of the elephants themselves.

The rescue teams worked tirelessly day and night, battling against challenging weather conditions and the unforgiving terrain. They carefully maneuvered the cranes, ensuring the safety of both the rescuers and the elephants. Each elephant was gently lifted from the ravine, their powerful yet delicate bodies suspended in the air, as if in a ballet of rescue and hope.

The Aftermath and Recovery

Once freed from the ravine, the elephants were immediately provided with medical care and transported to a nearby sanctuary. Here, they could begin the long journey of physical and emotional recovery. Expert veterinarians and caretakers worked tirelessly to assess and treat any injuries, while also providing the elephants with a nurturing environment to heal.

The rescued elephants were given ample space to roam and socialize with each other, allowing them to rebuild their sense of community and regain their trust in humans. Specially designed rehabilitation programs were implemented to help the elephants regain their strength and confidence, ensuring their successful reintegration into the wild, if possible.

The rescue mission not only saved their lives but also provided an opportunity for these majestic creatures to thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. It served as a powerful reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and the incredible resilience of nature.

Today, the rescued elephants have become ambassadors for their species, inspiring countless individuals to take action and protect the world’s endangered wildlife. Their story continues to touch the hearts of people around the world, serving as a beacon of hope for both humans and animals alike.

Story 2: The Courageous Dog Rescue from a Burning Building

The fiery predicament.

In a heart-wrenching incident, a fire engulfed a residential building, trapping a helpless dog inside. Time was running out, and the dog’s chances of survival seemed bleak without immediate intervention.

The flames roared and crackled as thick smoke billowed out of the building, creating an atmosphere of chaos and panic. Onlookers gathered, their hearts filled with a mix of fear and hope for the trapped canine. The dog’s desperate cries for help echoed through the air, tugging at the heartstrings of everyone present.

Amidst the chaos, a group of firefighters and animal rescue volunteers arrived at the scene, their faces determined and their spirits unwavering. They knew that every second counted, and failure was not an option.

The Heroic Rescue

Armed with their protective gear and an unwavering commitment to saving lives, the team of firefighters and animal rescue volunteers braved the intense heat and thick smoke as they ventured into the burning building. The crackling of flames and the sound of falling debris served as a constant reminder of the danger that surrounded them.

Guided by their training and instincts, the team navigated through the labyrinth of hallways and rooms, searching for any sign of the trapped dog. The acrid smell of smoke filled their nostrils, making it difficult to breathe, but their determination remained unshaken.

Finally, amidst the chaos and darkness, they spotted the terrified dog huddled in a corner, its eyes filled with fear and desperation. With swift and calculated movements, they carefully approached the dog, soothing it with gentle words and reassuring touches.

Working together seamlessly, the team managed to secure the dog in a specially designed rescue harness. With each step, they could feel the weight of responsibility on their shoulders, knowing that the life of this precious animal depended on their actions.

With courage and determination, they made their way back through the treacherous path they had come, shielding the dog from falling debris and guiding it to safety. The collective sigh of relief from the crowd outside was drowned out by the sound of applause and cheers as the dog was brought out of the burning building, its life now hanging on a thread of hope.

Life After the Fire

After the fire, the rescued dog was immediately rushed to a nearby veterinary clinic, where it received essential medical attention to treat any injuries sustained during the ordeal. The dedicated veterinarians and staff worked tirelessly to ensure the dog’s recovery, providing it with the care and love it deserved.

Meanwhile, news of the brave rescue spread like wildfire, capturing the hearts of people near and far. The selfless acts of the firefighters and animal rescue volunteers inspired many, reminding them of the incredible bond between humans and animals.

A local animal shelter stepped forward to provide a temporary home for the rescued dog, offering a safe and nurturing environment for it to heal both physically and emotionally. The shelter staff showered the dog with love and attention, helping it regain trust in humanity after enduring such a traumatic experience.

As the days went by, the story of the courageous dog and its miraculous rescue continued to touch the hearts of people worldwide. And then, in a heartwarming turn of events, a loving family stepped forward to adopt the dog, offering it a forever home filled with love and care.

This incredible journey from tragedy to triumph showcased the resilience and compassion of both humans and animals. It served as a reminder that even in the face of adversity, there is always hope, and that the bonds we form with our furry companions can be a source of strength and inspiration.

Story 3: The Incredible Sea Turtle Rescue on the Mexican Coast

The stranded sea turtles.

On the golden shores of Mexico, a group of endangered sea turtles became entangled in fishing nets, unable to return to the vast ocean they called home. With each passing moment, their chances of survival diminished.

The Massive Rescue Effort

Word of the stranded sea turtles quickly spread, mobilizing a passionate group of volunteers and wildlife experts. Together, they embarked on a dangerous journey to free the trapped turtles. With patience and expertise, they carefully untangled the turtles from the nets and nursed them back to health.

The Return to the Sea

Once deemed healthy and strong, the rescued sea turtles were released back into the ocean, where they could continue their important role in maintaining the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. Their release was not only a triumphant moment for the sea turtles but also a reminder of the importance of protecting our oceans and the incredible creatures that inhabit them.

Animal rescue missions are powerful stories of compassion, bravery, and the indomitable spirit of both humans and animals. They remind us of the incredible bond we share with the animal kingdom and the responsibility we have to protect and care for those in need. Each rescue mission is a shining example of what can be achieved when we work together with a shared goal: a world where every animal can live a safe, happy, and fulfilling life.

25 Incredible Rescue Stories That Will Blow Your Mind

Posted by Sameen , Updated on June 22, 2024

In 1970, during NASA’s seventh manned mission to the moon, an oxygen tank exploded on Apollo 13 while it was mid-flight. With the help of engineers on the ground, the astronauts jury-rigged the CO2 removal system and safely made it back to Earth.

Tommy the Cat

When officer Patrick Daughtery entered Gary Rosheisen’s home in 2005, he found Gary laying on the ground next to his wheelchair. His cat, Tommy, was lying near the phone. When the 911 call came in to dispatch, a police officer was sent to the scene because there was silence on the line. Rosheisen later explained how he had once tried to teach Tommy to dial 911 but wasn’t sure if it had worked…until that day!

The Heimlich Hound

When Debbie Parkhurst choked on an apple in her home, she tried to do the Heimlich maneuver on herself. Unsuccessful, her dog Toby then reared up, pushed her to the ground, and jumped on her chest until the apple came loose!

When Candace Jennings of Idaho rescued Anna from an animal shelter, she had no idea that Anna would rescue her right back. One morning in 2007, Anna woke Candace with her howls because the trailer was on fire. They both escaped, but when Candace tried to come back for something, she got disoriented in the smoke. Anna had apparently followed her back into the building and led Candace out again!

Jesus Garcia and Nacozari

On November 7, 1907, Jesus Garcia was on duty as a railroad engineer in the town of Nacozari, Mexico, when he noticed that a train car containing dynamite had caught on fire. He drove the car out of town where it exploded, killing him and 12 other rail workers. The town is eternally grateful.

Uruguay's Old Christian Club Rugby Team

On Oct. 13, 1972, 45 passengers, which included members, friends, and family of Uruguay’s Old Christian Club rugby team, crashed in the Andes on their way from Montevideo to Santiago. While several passengers died either on impact or in an avalanche, 16 of the original 45 were eventually rescued via helicopter.

2 years into their around-the-world sailing trip, British couple Peter and Betty Lee were boating off the coast of Venezuela when they were attacked by pirates. Although they were tied up, their hunting dog, Kankuntu, came to their rescue. He attacked the pirates and scared them off. Unfortunately, Kankuntu was shot and stabbed in the process, but the couple were able to dress his wounds.

Moko and the Whales

In 2008, a sperm whale and her calf got caught on a sandbar off the coast of New Zealand. When human efforts failed, a dolphin named Moko showed up and managed to lead the whales to safety!

The Arapahoe Basin

When a man got his backpack caught in a chair lift while trying to get off, it left him dangling from the lift high above the mountain. One of the ski instructors (who fortunately also happened to be a professional slackliner) managed to save the poor skier by climbing up along the wire and cutting him loose!

Jessica McClure

As an 18 month old baby, Jessica fell 22 feet down a narrow, abandoned well. While CNN filmed live, people around the world watched as rescuers dug a parallel hole to get her out.

Daniel Mazur and Lincoln Hall

After succumbing to altitude sickness 2 hours from the summit of Mount Everest, Lincoln Hall was assumed to be dead by his comrades. Little did they know that another climber named Daniel Mazur had stumbled across a disoriented Lincoln and carried him back down the mountain (thus abandoning the Everest summit).

Note: not all climbers are so fortunate. Many times people coming down the mountain don’t have enough energy to carry fatigued comrades, and those going up don’t want to sacrifice their Everest glory. Thus, you can quite literally die just feet from dozens of people.

Vickie Williams-Tillman

Vickie Williams-Tillman was driving to the store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana when she saw police officer Billy Aime wrestling with a suspect. The suspect had grabbed Billy’s baton and repeatedly bashed his head with it. Vickie fearlessly jumped on the suspect’s back and helped subdue him.

Hudson River Rescue

On Jan. 15, 2009, flight 1548 took off from New York, lost power, and landed in the Hudson River. The pilot, Chesley B. Sullenberger, was hailed as a hero when not a single life was lost. Fire boats, Coast Guard, and police boats managed to pick up all the passengers from the water.

Central Park

In February 2017, Bennett Jonas and Ethan Turnbull were skating in Central Park when they saw several kids dancing on the ice. The ice gave way and the kids plunged into the water. Jonas and Turmbull managed to pull all seven of them to safety.

Ingrid Betancourt

While campaigning for the Colombian presidency in FARC territory in 2002, Ingrid was kidnapped by rebels. For 6 years nobody knew where she was. Eventually, undercover government forces infiltrated FARC and managed to rescue Ingrid. Her rescue was celebrated throughout the country.

SS Andrea Doria

On July 25, 1956, Italian luxury liner SS Andrea Doria collided with the MS Stockholm off the coast of Massachusetts. In the 11 hours that it took the SS Andrea to sink, over a thousand passengers escaped onto the MS Stockholm and other surrounding ships. Only 46 peopled died. It is one of the greatest seaborne rescues of modern day.

The Chilean Miners

On Aug. 5, 2010, a mine collapsed in northern Chile. 33 miners had to spend the next several months underground until rescuers could reach them. On Oct. 13, 2010 the world looked on as the miners were brought to the surface and reunited with their families.

USS Squalus

On May 23, 1939, a valve failure caused the submarine USS Squalus to sink. It wasn’t until over 24 hours later that searchers finally managed to reached the sub and extract the entire crew alive!

100 puppies

In January 2017, a truck carrying over one hundred puppies crashed into a ditch off of New York State’s Interstate 86. Volunteers and rescuers acted quickly to triage and treat the puppies, all of whom eventually turned out fine.

MV Maersk Alabama

On April 8, 2009, off the coast of Somalia, the MV Maersk Alabama became the first American vessel to be hijacked by pirates in almost 200 years. The pirates fled with Captain Richard Phillips, but not for long. Navy SEAL snipers took out the pirates and rescued the Captain.

Manfred Kick

While Kick was driving his Tesla down the German Autobahn near Munich, he noticed a fellow driver was swerving erratically. He pulled up to the car and saw that the driver was limp and unconscious. Acting quickly, he drove in front of the other driver’s vehicle and slowed it down using his own. The damage to Kick’s Tesla was significant, but he had saved a life that day. And oh yea, Elon Musk offered to have his Tesla fixed free of charge!

Hurricane Katrina

Anytime there’s a natural disaster, there are many people in need of rescue. And while there are many individual stories, it’s worth noting that in one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history, rescuers managed to swim and airlift over 30,000 people to safety! It’s quite impressive.

Daniel Aufdenblatten and Richard Lehner

On April 29, 2010, a storm trapped 3 Spanish climbers on Annapurna in Nepal. As they froze on the world’s 10th highest mountain, Swiss pilots Daniel Aufdenblatten and Richard Lehner took their helicopter to nearly 7,000 meters (22,966 feet) to save them! They received the “Heroism Award,” which is one of the highest honors in aviation.

Bataan Death March

The Bataan Death March was when the Japanese forced allied prisoners of war to march through the hot Philippine jungles. In January, 1945, 121 Army Rangers rescued over 500 captives. Hampton Sides’ 2002 bestseller Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission recounts the tales of heroism.

Haiti Earthquake

On Jan. 12, 2010, Darlene Etienne was studying at her cousin’s place in Port-au-Prince when the 7.0 earthquake struck. For fifteen days she was trapped in the rubble until a passerby heard her screams. Her rescue was broadcast live on television.

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Understanding Rescue: What Scholars Say

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Historians and other scholars of the Holocaust use primary sources like the letters, memoirs, and testimonies featured on this website to understand what happened during this critical moment in history, and why. The question of why some people chose to defy Nazi laws and risk their lives to rescue others—sometimes neighbors, sometimes complete strangers—has fascinated scholars of this period and students of human behavior. Each instance of rescue was influenced by its own particular circumstances, including where it took place (in a city, in a rural area, in an area that was or was not occupied by the German army); when it took place (earlier or later in the war; over just one night or for a period of months or even years); the resources available to the rescuer and to those who sought help; and many other factors. Not all rescuers were successful, and because the penalties for aiding Jews were often so severe, we will never hear all the stories of those who tried to help but failed.

The many different stories of rescue raise pressing questions: What motivated rescuers? Is each rescuer unique, or are there certain qualities that many rescuers share? How can studying the choices of rescuers inform our own thinking and actions today?

In this section, we turn to the writings of historians, psychologists, and others to see how they have addressed these important issues. The authors featured in this segment offer different points of view. As you read, ask yourself: To what extent do these ideas connect to Martha and Waitstill’s story? How do they inform your understanding of the Sharps and their world?

After reading the scholar perspecitves, continue to the connection questions we suggest.

Cynthia Ozick

Cynthia Ozick is a short story writer, novelist, and essayist who has written frequently about the Holocaust. In the prologue to Gay Block and Malka Drucker’s book Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust , she writes:

The neighbors are decent people—decent enough for ordinary purposes. They cannot be blamed for not being heroes. A hero—like a murderer—is an exception and (to be coarsely direct) a kind of social freak. No one ought to be expected to become a hero . . . 1 For me, the rescuers are not the ordinary human article. Nothing would have been easier than for each and every one of them to have remained a bystander, like all those millions of their countrymen in the nations of Europe. It goes without saying that the bystanders, especially in the occupied lands, had troubles enough of their own, and hardly needed to go out of their way to acquire new burdens and frights. I do not—cannot—believe that human begins are, without explicit teaching, naturally or intrinsically altruistic. I do not believe, either, that they are naturally vicious, although they can be trained to be. The truth (as with most truths) seems to be somewhere in the middle: most people are born bystanders. The ordinary human article does not want to be disturbed by extremes of any kind—not by risks, or adventures, or unusual responsibility. And those who undertook the risks, those whose bravery steeped them in perilous contingencies, those whose moral strength urged them into heart-stopping responsibility—what (despite their demurrals) are they really, if not the heroes of our battered world? What other name can they possibly merit? In the Europe of the most savage decade of the twentieth century, not to be a bystander was the choice of an infinitesimal few. These few are most substantial than the multitudes from whom they distinguished themselves; and it is from these undeniably heroic and principled few that we can learn the full resonance of civilization. 2

Samuel and Pearl Oliner

In their book The Altruistic Personality , sociologsts Samuel and Pearl Oliner suggest that rescue was determined by circumstances and personal qualities.

Rescuers did not simply happen on opportunities for rescue; they actively created, sought or recognized them where others did not. Their participation was not determined by circumstances but by their own personal qualities. Chance sometimes provided rescuers . . . with an opportunity to help, but it was the values learned from their parents which prompted and sustained their involvement. [The Oliners go on to describe Johan, a Dutch boy who was 17 years old when he became involved in rescue activities; they use his story to illustrate qualities that they believe characterize rescuers more broadly.] . . . Patriotism, law and order were among the first reasons Johan gave for helping Jews—values invoked by numerous groups, including those who have destroyed freedom and persecuted minorities. For Johan, however, these words had special meaning. For Johan, they were associated with freedom, justice, a fierce egalitarianism, caring for others, and a particular sense of obligation toward the needy and helpless . . . Christianity was also a very important part of Johan’s life, but for him it meant primarily caring for the needy. Johan described his parents as very religious. As for himself, he went to church regularly in his youth and attended Bible classes, but he regarded these activities as largely duties. “I was not very religious when I was growing up,” he said . . . In Johan’s view, love of country, law and order, politics and religion converged into fundamental ethical principles characterized by two strands: inclusiveness—a predisposition to regard all people as equals and to apply similar standards of right and wrong to them without regard for social status or ethnicity—and attachment—a belief in the value of personal relationships and caring for the needy. He credited both to his parental home. 3

Shlomo Breznitz

In one of the pieces featured in The Courage to Care , a collection of essays edited by Professor Carol Rittner, Israeli psychologist Shlomo Breznitz reflects on the meaning of courage:

Courage is never alone, for it has fear as its ever-present companion. An act deserves to be called courageous if, and only if, it is performed in spite of fear. The greater the fear, the more courageous the action that defies it. Thus, it is only when fear and anxiety rule supreme that courage can truly assert itself . . . It is when fear dictates, “Run,” and the mind dictates, “Stay”; when the body dictates, “Don’t,” and the soul dictates, “Do,” that the heroic battle is being waged. At times, for an all-decisive split second, one musters the strength to force the issue; at other times, the difficult decision must be upheld for a long time against renewed attacks of fear and doubt . . . A brave act, by definition, implies risk taking. The issue to consider is, for whose sake is the risk taken? Is it for the sake of the individual himself or herself, a close relative, a dear friend, or is it a commitment to one’s group or society? The more distant and intangible the cause, the greater the courage implied by the action. 4

Connections

Which of the scholars’ theories are most powerful to you? Which ones best explain the Sharps and their choices? Be sure to cite specific evidence that supports your opinion.
Cynthia Ozick writes that rescuers are “not the ordinary human article,” explaining that their courage and altruism set them apart. But most rescuers themselves insist that what they did was “normal,” that “anyone would have done it.” How do you understand the difference between the rescuers’ descriptions of their actions and the analysis of scholars? Are rescuers ordinary or extraordinary?
Pierre Sauvage, a filmmaker and Holocaust survivor, has addressed this question. He says, “If we do not learn how it is possible to act under even the most trying of circumstances, we will increasingly doubt our ability to act under even less trying ones.” 5
You can learn about other rescuers during the Holocaust in the Facing History resource book Holocaust and Human Behavior . Some rescues were spontaneous; others were carefully planned. Some rescuers knew those they helped; others were strangers. What other patterns do you note among the stories of rescue? Is each rescuer unique, or are there certain qualities that many rescuers share? How do the Sharps fit in?
Is it true that it takes “courage” to “care”? When and why can the simple act of caring be considered courageous? What kinds of courage were required of Martha and Waitstill Sharp?
Many scholars of rescue focus on the idea of altruism. How would you define altruism? Think of examples of altruistic actions that you have seen or taken part in. What motivated those actions? What effects did they have?
In his book The Abandonment of the Jews , historian David Wyman wonders, “Would the reaction be different today? Would Americans be more sensitive, less self-centered, more willing to make sacrifices, less afraid of differences now than they were then?” How would you answer Wyman’s question? What experiences, memories, and knowledge shape your response?

As you explore these contemporary stories, consider how the choices they’ve made echo the choices made be Martha and Waitstill Sharp. How are the opportunities and challenges of rescue and relief different today?

Aid worker Carl Wilkens, the only American who chose to remain in Rwanda when other foreigners were evacuated during the 1994 genocide; he saved many Rwandans, including children at an orphanage.
Australian Rebecca Hamilton, who traveled to the Darfur region of Sudan as a university student to do relief work. She became a leader of the student movement to end the genocide in Darfur and cofounded the Genocide Intervention Network.
American Ryan Boyette, who resigned his position with an American aid organization after all staff were ordered to leave the dangerous Nuba Mountains region of southern Sudan. Boyette chose to remain to bear witness to the government’s atrocities in the region and spread the news to the world.

Categorizing the rescuer can be misleading; it separates us from reality. We may prefer to believe that these people, examined collectively, possess incomprehensible heroism or goodness, because then we don’t have to speculate how we would behave in similar circumstances. Perhaps it is easier to acknowledge evil because we do not want to know that we have the same capacity for goodness.To understand these people as no different from us, possessing the same doubts, fears, and prejudices, raises the uncomfortable question, “Would I do what they did?” 7

To what extent are the rescuers like us? What sets them apart? What questions has the study of rescue raised for you?

1 Cynthia Ozick, "Prologue" in Malka Drucker and Gay Block, Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust, xii.

2 Ibid, xvi.

3 Samuel P. Oliner and Pearl M. Oliner, The Altruistic Personality: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe (The Free Press, 1992), 142–144. Reprinted with permission from Samuel P. Oliner and Pearl M. Oliner.

4 Shlomo Breznitz, “The Courage to Care,” in Courage to Care, ed. C. Rittner and S. Myers, 149-151

5 “The Courage to Care,” in Courage to Care, ed. C. Rittner and S. Myers 135.

6 "Introduction," A Guide to "Rescuers of the Holocaust," 1.

7 Malka Drucker and Gay Block, Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust, 6.

How to Cite This Reading

Facing History & Ourselves, “ Understanding Rescue: What Scholars Say ”, last updated February 26, 2021.

You might also be interested in…

Dismantling democracy, world war: choices and consequences, do you take the oath, european jewish life before world war ii, exploring identity, the weimar republic: the fragility of democracy, the holocaust: bearing witness, how should we remember, introducing the unit, the holocaust: the range of responses, the national socialist revolution, kristallnacht, inspiration, insights, & ways to get involved.

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Narrative Writing: The Rescue

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

10 October 2019

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Enable your students to focus on effective structure and language features by inspiring them to write a story with the title “The Rescue” by giving them a real life newspaper report on a dramatic mid-sea rescue of a cargo ship. The report contains all the details they need and all they have to do is to transform the structure of the report into the five-part story structure, enabling you to focus on what makes an effective narrative. The folder includes:

A powerpoint with pointers and tips.
A Word version of the report.
A Word planning sheet. Designed for both AQA and Eduqas GCSE narrative writing.

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The Kiss of Life; A Story of Bravery and Survival

Tilan nimesh.

Explore the compelling narrative behind an iconic image and its historical significance. Join us as we unravel the brave rescue that unfolded in Jacksonville, Florida, shedding light on the unsung heroes who went above and beyond to save a life.

In the heat of July, photographer Rocco Morabito was en route to a photo assignment in Jacksonville, Florida. Passing West 26th Street, he noticed two Jacksonville Electric Authority workers engaged in routine maintenance on a power pole. Little did Morabito know that an unforeseen tragedy was about to unfold.

At the pinnacle of the pole, Randall G. Champion, one of the workers, accidentally made contact with an electric line. In an instant, a powerful surge of electricity surged through his body, rendering him unconscious. Despite being safely equipped with protective gear, Champion's life hung in the balance.

J.D. Thompson, Champion's colleague working on a different pole about 400 feet away, rushed to the scene upon hearing cries for help. Realizing that traditional CPR was impossible with Champion suspended in the air, Thompson had to think fast to save his coworker's life.

With limited options, Thompson made a daring decision. He sealed Champion's mouth with his own and breathed life into his lungs. After a series of forceful chest compressions, Thompson detected a faint pulse. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Thompson unfastened his colleague from the harness, slung him over his shoulder, and began the descent down the pole.

Once on the ground, Thompson and another coworker administered CPR until paramedics arrived. Champion's pulse strengthened, and he began breathing on his own, albeit partially conscious. Time was of the essence, and the heroic actions of Thompson and his team proved pivotal.

Photographer Rocco Morabito, who initially stopped to capture routine images of the workers, grasped the gravity of the situation. Using his car's two-way radio, Morabito called for an ambulance and captured the powerful moment of Thompson giving Champion the "kiss of life" on camera. The image garnered global attention and earned the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1968.

Thanks to J.D. Thompson's quick thinking and valor, Randall G. Champion received a second lease on life. Champion lived for another 35 years before peacefully passing away in 2002 at the age of 64. Morabito, the photographer, sadly left us in April 2009. At the time of writing, J.D. Thompson, the hero of this extraordinary tale, was thriving.

The Jacksonville rescue narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the remarkable bravery and selflessness exhibited by ordinary individuals who transform into heroes in the face of extraordinary circumstances. The iconic photograph immortalizes the essence of this heroic act, preserving the memory of those involved for generations to come.

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4 Daring Rescue Missions Throughout History

From Tanzania to the Antarctic.

The Elephant Island party waves goodbye to sailors on the James Caird, 24 April 1916. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Nothing grabs the attention more than the story of an intrepid individual attempting a rescue mission against all odds. In the modern world, dramatic rescue operations, such as that mounted to save the Chilean miners in 2010, have made huge headlines, with modern technology allowing people across the globe to watch events unfolding in real time. News did not travel so fast in the past, but people have always been interested in this type of human interest story. Here are four daring rescue missions from history, which still capture the imagination today.

9 Thrilling Adventure Books for Intrepid Readers

Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

Henry Morton Stanley and Kalulu, his adopted son.

In January 1866, Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone set off to find the rumored source of the White Nile. As Livingstone journeyed ever deeper into the heart of the then largely uncharted African continent, news of his whereabouts became increasingly spasmodic and eventually ceased altogether.

With speculation mounting as to his fate, New York Herald editor, James Gordon Bennett Jr., charged one of his novice reporters, Henry Morton Stanley, with the task of leading an expedition to search for the missing explorer. The wealthy newspaper baron did not provide the considerable financial backing required for such a mission purely out of altruism. Rather, the canny Bennett realized the potential it offered in terms of raising his newspaper’s international profile.

10 Lost Civilizations That Vanished Without a Trace

Bennett was unaware of his 30-year-old reporter’s own interesting backstory. The illegitimate Stanley (born John Rowlands) had spent a difficult early childhood in Wales before emigrating to the US as a young man. Here he had taken on a new name, inspired by a wealthy New Orleans trader, and after an eventful Civil War, in which he had seen action on both sides, had become a journalist.

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By March 1871, Stanley had reached Zanzibar, just off the East African coast, and was ready to embark on the search for Livingstone. This entailed an arduous 700-mile trek through Tanzania into territory which only a handful of Europeans had ever witnessed. From the start, Stanley was plagued by serious ill health, including malaria and smallpox. He also had to overcome a series of other obstacles, including a tribal war which compelled him to make a significant detour.

Finally, after a journey lasting nearly eight months, Stanley received the news for which he had been hoping. A white man had been spotted in nearby Ujiji. Stanley hastened there to discover that it was, indeed, Livingstone.

Stanley’s colorful reports on the mission for the New York Herald made him a global celebrity. In one article, he claimed to have greeted the Scottish explorer with the question, “Dr Livingstone, I presume?” This version of events has now entered folklore, but it is entirely possible that Stanley only later made up this pithy line for dramatic effect, as Livingstone himself had no recollection of it.

Pliny the Elder’s heroic 1st-century rescue attempt

In 79 CE, the ancient Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were famously destroyed following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius . Unusually for this period, an eyewitness account of a heroic rescue mission in the immediate vicinity of this disaster has survived to this day in the form of a letter written by Pliny the Younger to the Roman historian, Tacitus.

At the time Pliny was staying with his uncle and namesake, a high-ranking Roman naval commander, in the nearby port of Misenum. The first sign of impending disaster came early one afternoon when the two men were alerted to the appearance of an ominous cloud formation in the sky above Mount Vesuvius, unlike anything they had ever seen before. In addition to his military prowess, Pliny the Elder was also a noted scientist. Eager to discover more about this unusual phenomenon, he was already preparing to take a boat along the coast to have a closer look when a message for help arrived from friends, who lived in a villa close to the foot of the volcano. Theirs was just one of several villas situated on that part of the coastline and so Pliny the Elder ordered the launch of a small fleet of warships to mount a rescue mission.

Pompeii’s Graffiti Gives Us Insight Into Ancient Rome

Conditions were treacherous and, according to Pliny the Younger, his uncle was at one point advised to turn back by his helmsman. The elder Pliny was determined to carry on with his mission, but by the time the rescue party reached their destination of Stabiae, conditions had deteriorated to such an extent that escape by boat proved impossible. Instead, they tried to shelter inside a friend’s villa before being driven outdoors because of fears that the building was about to collapse.

According to Pliny the Younger, the group fled with pillows tied to their heads as a way of protecting themselves from falling pumice. His uncle made for the beach to see whether escape by sea was now possible but was overcome by the toxic fumes coming from the volcanic ash and died of asphyxiation. His body was found on the beach two days later, just one of the several thousand people who lost their lives as a result of this devastating natural disaster.

Shackleton’s mission to save the crew of the Endurance

In late 1914, the Anglo-Irish explorer, Ernest Shackleton, set sail from South Georgia on board the Endurance, along with a crew of 27 men . His destination was the Weddell Sea, from where he aimed to make the first overland crossing of Antarctica via the South Pole to the Ross Sea.

Only a few weeks into its voyage, the Endurance became trapped in ice off Queen Maud Land. For the next nine months, Shackleton and his crew made several valiant attempts to break free from the ice, but to no avail. In the end, with the Endurance in imminent danger of sinking, the men were compelled to abandon ship. They eventually reached the uninhabited Elephant Island aboard three lifeboats, but their location was so remote that the chances of being discovered were virtually non-existent.

Shackleton’s solution was to set out on an 800-mile journey to South Georgia on board the largest of the lifeboats, the James Caird. He asked for five volunteers to accompany him, leaving the rest of the crew behind on Elephant Island. Facing a perilous journey on a small boat in heavy seas and hurricane-force winds, Shackleton only took enough supplies to last a month. He figured that they wouldn’t survive anyway if it took longer than that to reach their destination.

The Daring Voyage of the James Caird

They made it to South Georgia within three weeks, but their problems were far from over. They had landed on the wrong side of the island, which meant that they had to undertake a 40-mile trek over uncharted terrain to reach help at the Stromness whaling station. Three of the men were judged too unwell to make the journey, so they sheltered under the upturned lifeboat whilst Shackleton and two others set out on their mission. The rescue party marched more or less non-stop for 36 hours in treacherous conditions, before finally arriving at Stromness in time for a well-earned breakfast. After several false starts, all of the Endurance ’s crew members were eventually rescued, with no loss of life.

Back home, there had been no news of the Endurance for well over 18 months. When the story of Shackleton’s dramatic rescue mission finally hit the papers in early June 1916, it represented a rare moment of good news in the midst of the unrelenting misery of World War I .

Gerard Kuiper’s daring WWII mission to rescue Max Planck

Gerard Kuiper in 1964.

During a long and illustrious career, Gerard Kuiper made many important contributions to planetary research. He also predicted the existence of the Kuiper Belt in the outer solar system, which was later named in his honor. Perhaps less remembered today, though, is a daring rescue mission he undertook to save a fellow scientist during the final days of World War II.

Kuiper was born in the Netherlands, but moved to the United States to pursue an academic career at the University of Chicago and was granted American citizenship. During World War II, he was recruited to the top-secret ALSOS mission. As Allied forces advanced across Europe in the final stages of the war, the ALSOS mission was tasked with locating the enemy’s top scientists and ascertaining the veracity of claims that Nazi Germany was close to developing the world’s first atomic weapon .

Whilst in Berlin in May 1945, Kuiper discovered that German physicist, Max Planck, was in imminent danger of being captured by the Russian army which was advancing from the Eastern Front. Planck had played no part in the Nazi regime’s nuclear program and had been notably outspoken in his criticism of the German authorities. He had been forced to flee Berlin in 1943 and was now reported to be sheltering in a farmhouse, not far from the eastern banks of the River Elbe.

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The 87-year-old Planck’s safety fell outside the remit of the ALSOS mission, but the German’s reputation as one of the giants of early 20th-century theoretical physics was such that Kuiper was not prepared to leave him to an uncertain fate at the hands of the Russians. Kuiper commandeered an army jeep, enlisted the help of two GI soldiers, and then set out on a daring rescue attempt.

To the east of Berlin, the country was in a state of total chaos, and Kuiper risked provoking the unwanted attention of fleeing German soldiers. He reached the farmhouse where Planck and his wife were sheltering only hours before the Red Army arrived in the area and persuaded the couple to allow him to escort them to safety. During their perilous return journey to Berlin, they only narrowly missed a couple of Soviet patrols.

Despite his advanced age, Planck remained in West Germany after the war and spent the remaining two years of his life at the forefront of the movement to reconstruct the country’s scientific community.

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The Amazing Penguin Rescue

Students will read about the effects of an oil spill on penguins and the incredible efforts to save them. The article, written from the perspective of a penguin, will help readers understand the importance of author’s craft and will build vocabulary.

Learning Objective: Students will read about the effects of an oil spill on penguins and the incredible efforts to save them. The article, written from the perspective of a penguin, will help readers understand the importance of author’s craft and will build vocabulary.

R.1, R.3, R.4, R.5, R.6, R.7, W.2, W.3, SL.1, SL.2 L.4, L.6
3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.9, 3.12, 3.18a, 3.29, 3.30, 3.31
Lesson Plan

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In this story, the author asks you to imagine you’re a penguin. Think about why.

JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN ®

The Penguins’ Place

The oil spill hit the world’s largest breeding ground for penguins. The warehouse that turned into a penguin rescue center was near Cape Town.

Imagine you are an African penguin. The year is 2000. You live on an island in the South Atlantic Ocean. You are with thousands of other penguins on a rocky beach. Even though it’s June, it’s cold and windy. All around you are penguin noises: barks and honks. Some of your penguin friends fight for their space. Others cuddle with their partners and take care of their chicks.

You’re hungry, so you head down to the water’s edge. You waddle on tiny feet. Your wings are too stubby for flying. But in the water, you can swim faster and dive deeper than almost any bird on Earth. After you plunge into the sea, you shoot through the water, just a black-and-white blur. You snatch sardines near the surface. Your thick feathers protect you from the freezing water.

You stay in the sea for hours until your belly is full of sardines. Then you head back to shore.

That’s when something goes wrong.

As you come to the surface for air, the water feels strange. It is thick. It stings your eyes. You try to swim away, but now your wings are too heavy to lift. You can barely catch your breath.

What you don’t know is that just hours ago, a ship called Treasure hit a reef and split apart. As it sank, 1,300 tons of oil gushed into the sea. Thousands of penguins have been soaked with the poisonous oil.

Imagine you are an African penguin. You live on a beach with your penguin friends. One day you are swimming in the ocean. This is usually fun. But today the water feels thick. It stings your eyes. Your wings are too heavy to lift. You can barely catch your breath.

That’s because a ship hit a reef. Then it split apart. The ship was carrying oil. The oil spilled into the sea. Now you and other penguins are covered in the oil. This oil could kill you.

Imagine you are an African penguin. The year is 2000. You live on an island in the South Atlantic Ocean. You are with thousands of penguins on a beach. Even though it’s June, it’s cold and windy. You hear penguin noises: barks and honks. Some of your penguin friends fight for their space. Others cuddle with their partners. They take care of their chicks.

You’re hungry. You head down to the water’s edge. You waddle on tiny feet. Your wings are too stubby for flying. But in the water, you can swim faster and dive deeper than almost any bird on Earth. After you plunge into the sea, you shoot through the water. You grab sardines to eat. Your feathers protect you from the freezing water.

You stay in the sea for hours. When your belly is full of sardines, you head back to shore.

You come to the surface for air. But the water feels strange. It is thick. It stings your eyes. You try to swim away. But now your wings are too heavy to lift. You can barely catch your breath.

You don’t know it, but hours ago, a ship called Treasure hit a reef. Then it split apart. As it sank, 1,300 tons of oil gushed into the sea. Thousands of penguins are soaked with the poisonous oil.

You’re hungry, so you head down to the water’s edge. You waddle on tiny feet, and your wings are too stubby for flying. But in the water, you can swim faster and dive deeper than almost any bird on Earth. As you plunge into the sea, your wings become powerful underwater propellers. You shoot through the water at 12 miles an hour, a black-and-white blur, snatching sardines from the surface, swallowing them whole, then catching more. Your thick feathers protect you from the freezing water.

You stay in the sea for hours until your belly is full. Then you turn to head back to shore.

You are not the only penguin that has become soaked with the poisonous oil. Thousands of others have been trapped in the massive oil slick.

PAUSE AND THINK: Why was it hard for the penguins to swim back to shore?

Need to Survive

MARTIN HARVEY/SCIENCE SOURCE

In Need of Help—and Food

The penguins are covered in oil.

Oil does awful things to a penguin (or any bird). It makes your feathers separate. Now you are shivering because freezing water is hitting your sensitive skin. Your eyes hurt because the oil has burned them. Your wings are heavy because they are covered in oil.

But you want to survive. Somehow you struggle back to shore. You manage to stagger onto the beach and back to your nest. You lick your feathers, trying to clean them. Finally you give up. You stand there, terrified and silent.

Oil does awful things to a penguin. It makes your feathers separate. Now you are shivering. Freezing water is hitting your sensitive skin. Your eyes hurt. The oil has burned them. Your wings are heavy. They are covered in oil.

But you want to survive. Somehow you get back to shore. You stagger onto the beach and back to your nest. You lick your feathers. You’re trying to clean them. Then you give up. You just stand there, scared and quiet.

Oil does terrible things to a penguin. It makes your feathers separate. Now you are shivering. Freezing water is hitting your sensitive skin. Your eyes hurt. The oil has burned them. Your wings are heavy. They are covered in oil.

But you want to survive. Somehow you get back to shore. You stagger onto the beach and back to your nest. You lick your feathers. You’re trying to clean them. Finally, you give up. You stand there, scared and silent.

PAUSE AND THINK: Where are you, the penguin, now? How did you get there?

Strange Creatures

AVALON/PHOTOSHOT LICENSE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Oiled penguins in their holding pool, about to be fed.

Then the beach is invaded by huge creatures.

They are humans, but you don’t know that. You have never seen a human before. These men and women know that this oil spill is terrible for you and your species. Some of the people have spent their lives helping birds like you. All they want to do is save your life.

As the humans swarm the beach, you become scared. A man catches you. You use your strong jaws and sharp beak to bite his arm. But the man doesn’t let go.

Now you bite his leg. The wound will leave a scar on the man for the rest of his life. But he seems to care more about you than about himself.

All across the beach, people are capturing penguins. The people are getting slapped by wings and bitten as they load penguins into crates. It is painful and tiring work. And it’s sad to see all of these scared and injured penguins. Some of the humans try not to cry. But they don’t give up. Thousands of penguins are in danger. And the workers want to save them all.

Then the beach is taken over by huge creatures.

They are humans. But you have never seen a human before. These men and women know that this oil spill is terrible for you. Some of the people have spent their lives helping birds like you. All they want to do is save your life.

The humans swarm the beach. You are scared. A man catches you. You bite his arm. But the man doesn’t let go.

Now you bite his leg. The wound will leave a scar on the man. But he seems to care more about you than about himself.

All across the beach, people are catching penguins. The people are getting hit by wings and bitten as they load penguins into crates. It is painful and tiring work. And it’s sad to see all of these scared and hurt penguins. Some of the humans try not to cry. But they don’t give up. The workers want to save all of the penguins.

Then the beach is invaded by enormous creatures.

But how could you know this?

As the humans swarm the beach, you are overcome with panic. A man catches you. You lash out viciously with your powerful jaws and razor-sharp beak. You bite his arm, ripping his skin through the fabric of his thick coat. He doesn’t let go. You strike again, biting his leg, inflicting a wound that will leave a scar for the rest of his life. But he cares more about you than himself. All across the beach, dozens of people are capturing penguins, enduring excruciating bites and wing slaps as they load you and the other penguins into crates. It is painful, exhausting work. The sight of all of these scared and injured penguins is heartbreaking to the humans. Some—grown men and women—fight tears.

But they don’t give up. Tens of thousands of penguins are in danger. And they intend to save every single one.

Ten miles from the island, outside the city of Cape Town, a team of workers and volunteers has transformed a warehouse into a penguin rescue center. They have worked with astonishing speed. The warehouse holds hundreds of round enclosures, each large enough for 100 penguins. There are additional areas where penguins will be washed. One room is filled with ten tons of frozen fish, the amount needed daily to feed the penguins. Acquiring this enormous quantity of fish every day will be one of the workers’ great challenges.

Actually, everything is a challenge. Simply getting one penguin to eat is a monumental task. In the wild, penguins hunt for sardines and gobble them up while they are still alive and wriggling. These penguins won’t accept the dead fish offered by human hands; workers have to force-feed them. They must restrain a penguin, pry its beak open, and shove the fish down its throat. Feeding one penguin can take an hour. Feeding all of the penguins takes an army of workers 15 hours.

And then there is the smell that fills the warehouse—a combination of penguin droppings, dead sardines, and human sweat. It is a stench so powerful that many people throw up when they first arrive.

But not even the smell keeps people away.

As news of the rescue effort spreads, hundreds, and then thousands, of volunteers flock to the warehouse, eager to help. They are a diverse group, including rich women from fancy neighborhoods and poor teenagers from Cape Town’s streets. Some have experience helping wildlife; some have never even owned a pet. All of them have one thing in common: a mission to save as many penguins as possible.

PAUSE AND THINK: Who are the creatures? What are they doing on the beach?

Everything Is Hard

Terror and Healing

Cleanup Time

Workers use tiny brushes to clean oil from the penguins.

Ten miles from the island, a team of workers and volunteers has turned a warehouse into a penguin rescue center. The warehouse has many separate areas to contain the penguins. In other areas, penguins will be washed. One room is filled with tons of frozen fish. It’s very hard to catch enough fish to feed all the penguins.

Actually, everything is hard. Just getting one penguin to eat is difficult. In the wild, penguins gobble up sardines while the fish are alive. Penguins don’t want dead fish. So workers have to hold the penguins, pull their beaks open, and shove the fish down their throats. Feeding all of them takes 15 hours.

And then there is the stinky smell that fills the warehouse. It comes from penguin droppings, dead sardines, and human sweat. Many people throw up when they first arrive. But not even the smell keeps people away.

Thousands of volunteers come to the warehouse. They include rich women from fancy neighborhoods and poor teenagers from city streets. Some have never even owned a pet. But all of them want to save the penguins.

Then, people arrive on the beach. You have never seen a human before. You are scared. People are putting penguins in crates. This includes you too. You are taken to a building. Workers wash and feed all the penguins.

But feeding them all takes all day. And the building stinks! It smells like penguin poop, dead fish, and sweat. Many people throw up at first. But not even the smell keeps the helpers away. They want to save the penguins.

A team of people is 10 miles away. They have turned a building into a penguin rescue center. They will wash and feed the penguins. But just getting one penguin to eat is hard. In the wild, penguins eat sardines that are still alive. Penguins don’t want dead fish. So workers have to hold the penguins and pull their beaks open. Then they shove the fish down their throats. Feeding them all takes a full day.

And then there is the stinky smell in the warehouse. It comes from penguin droppings, dead sardines, and human sweat. Many people throw up when they first arrive. But not even the smell keeps people away.

Thousands of helpers come to the building. Some are rich women from fancy neighborhoods. Some are poor teenagers from city streets. Some have never even owned a pet. But all of them want to save the penguins.

For you, one of thousands of oil-soaked penguins, every hour brings new terrors—the force feedings, the ointment put into your eyes, the tube stuck down your throat to pump liquid charcoal into your stomach.

But as time goes by, you begin to feel better. The ointment heals your eyes. The liquid charcoal helps your body rid itself of the oil you swallowed. You feel stronger. The humans win your trust. You accept fish from their hands. There is one woman who comes every day. You recognize her voice and greet her with a bark.

After many weeks, it is your turn to have the oil cleaned from your feathers. You are taken to a room and placed into a plastic tub. A woman pours vegetable oil over you. This loosens the caked-on crude oil. She washes you with mild soap and warm water. She works with gentle hands, scrubbing your body—one feather at a time—with a toothbrush. You do not bite her. After your feathers are clean and dry, this woman picks you up. She holds you close to her chest. You do not try to get away.

PAUSE AND THINK: What is happening in the warehouse?

Heading for Home

Staying Safe

When wearing a sweater, a penguin can’t lick the deadly oil from its feathers.

Weeks go by. Then one day, you are put into a box. You feel yourself being moved. When the box is opened, you are on a strange beach. You stand there for a bit. Then you can’t help yourself. You run toward the water and dive in. You follow a mysterious signal buried deep inside your memory. This is called instinct. You swim until you get to the shores of a rocky island. Your island!

While you were gone, humans cleaned up the oil that had covered the beach. The ocean carried the rest away.

Soon, thousands of penguins arrive on the island. Once again, sounds of honks and barks fill the air. You’ve been part of the greatest animal rescue in history. Nearly 40,000 penguins were saved. Many of them will pair up with mates. Baby penguins will be born.

You don’t know any of this because you are a penguin.

All you know is that your world is once again the way it should be.

Weeks pass. Then one day, you are put into a box again. You feel yourself being moved. When the box is opened, you are on a beach. First you stand there. Then you run toward the water. You dive in. You swim until you find your way back to your island.

While you were gone, humans cleaned up the oil on the beach. The ocean washed the rest away.

Soon, the rest of the penguins come home. They honk and bark like they did before the oil spill.

You’ve been part of the greatest animal rescue ever. Nearly 40,000 penguins were saved. Many of them will find mates. Then baby penguins will be born.

And your world is back to the way it should be.

Weeks pass. Then one day, you are put into a box. You feel yourself being moved. When the box is opened, you are on a strange beach. First you stand there. Then you can’t help yourself. You run toward the water and dive in. You swim until you reach the shores of a rocky island. It’s your island!

While you were gone, humans cleaned up the oil on the beach. The ocean carried the rest away.

Soon, the rest of the penguins arrive on the island. Once again, sounds of honks and barks fill the air. You’ve been part of the greatest animal rescue ever. Nearly 40,000 penguins were saved. Many of them will find mates. Baby penguins will be born.

All you know is that your world is back to the way it should be.

Weeks go by until one day, you are put into a box. You feel yourself being moved. When the box is opened, you are on a strange beach. You stand there until your instinct takes over. You run toward the water and plunge in. You follow a mysterious signal that lurks inside your memory. Soon you are on the shores of a rocky island.

Your island.

Before long, thousands of other penguins arrive on the island. The air is filled with honks and barks. You have no idea that you have been part of the greatest animal rescue in history. Close to 40,000 penguins were saved. In the coming weeks, researchers will be elated to see that many of the rescued birds are paired up with mates and sitting on eggs.

You don’t think about any of this because you are a penguin.

All you know is that your world is once again as it should be.

PAUSE AND THINK: Where are the penguins now?

THINK AND WRITE

Pretend you are this penguin. Write a journal entry about what happened to you in the oil spill. Use details from the article.

WRITE A PARAGRAPH

Why did the author write this story from the penguin’s point of view? Write your answer in a well-organized paragraph.

We love this fantastic 5-day close reading lesson plan from 4th-grade teacher Erin Burns.

To see where the islands where these penguins live are, don’t miss the map in our Video Read-Aloud . See it at the 44-second mark!

When you point out the photo of a penguin in a sweater on page 9, you can add that one penguin organization in Australia had received so many sweaters from well-meaning knitters all over the world, it had to issue a statement saying it didn’t need any more at that time!

Penguins have a fascinating pattern of breeding: The males keep penguin eggs warm by sitting on them (gently!) while the females go out in search of food for months. This poster breaks it down.

Check out this simple infographic to see the different sizes of various species of penguin. It’s hard to read the height portion of the chart, but Emporer penguins are the tallest, at around 4 ft. tall; Little Blue penguins are approximately 1 ft. tall! Ask your students to find the African penguin (the species our article is about).

Flood Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on flood.

Flood is one of the most dangerous natural disasters. It happens when excessive water is collected in any area. It usually happens due to heavy rainfall. India is highly prone to flood. There are many regions in the country that face this natural disaster because of the overflowing of rivers. Moreover, it also happens because of the melting of snow. Another reason for floods is when the dam breaks down. If we look at the coastal areas, the hurricanes and tsunamis are held responsible for causing floods. In this essay on flood, we will see the prevention and after-affect of flood.

In other words, whatever the cause may be, it is equally dangerous. It has a lot of harmful consequences. Flood damages the living conditions and it takes a lot of time to recover from this disaster. Therefore, the consequences of floods must be known and steps must be taken to prevent it.

After-effects of Flood

Floods interrupt with the day to day functioning of the affected area. The severe floods sometimes cause mass destruction. A lot of people and animals lose their lives due to floods. Several others are injured. Floods also bring a rise in diseases. The stagnant water attracts mosquitoes causing malaria , dengue, and more illnesses.

Furthermore, people face power cuts due to the danger of electrocution. They also have to face expensive pricing. As the supply of food and goods gets limited, the prices naturally grow higher. This creates a big problem for the common man.

Most importantly, the whole country faces economic loss. The resources needed to rescue people and tackle this disaster demands a hefty amount. Plus, the citizens lose their houses and cars which they worked all their lives for.

Subsequently, floods also hamper the environment. It causes soil erosion and this degrades the quality of the soil. We lose out on fertile soil. Similarly, floods also damage flora and fauna. They damage crops and displace trees. Thus, the measure should be taken to avoid these grave consequences.

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Ways to Prevent flood

The government and citizens must work together to formulate ways to prevent floods. Proper awareness must be spread about the steps to take when floods occur. Warning systems must be set up so people get sufficient time to save themselves. In addition, areas that are more likely to have floods must have tall buildings above the flood level.

Other than that, dams must be constructed strongly. The use of cheap materials causes dams to break. The government must ensure there is a quality building of dams to prevent floods.

In short, we cannot prevent natural causes like rain and the melting of glaciers. However, we can stop the manmade causes like breaking of dams, poor drainage system, installing warning systems and more. We should take inspiration from countries like Singapore that never experience floods despite having heavy rainfall for most time of the year.

FAQ on Flood Essay

Q.1 what are the consequences of a flood.

A.1 Floods cause immense destruction. They are responsible for the loss of human and animal lives. People lose their homes and cars in floods. They also cause soil erosion and uproot of trees.

Q.2 How can we prevent floods?

A.2 Governments must take up certain measures to prevent floods. We can install flood warning systems. Make people aware of what to do in times of flood. Moreover, we can also build a proper drainage system that will ensure no waterlogging.

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Arizona National Guard rescues over 100 people after Havasupai reservation flooding

An estimated 104 tribal members and tourists near Havasupai Falls have been evacuated since Thursday after floodwaters left them stranded, according to the Arizona National Guard.

On Friday evening, Gov. Katie Hobbs deployed the National Guard in response to flooding at the Havasupai reservation near the Grand Canyon, where a woman from Gilbert was swept away by the waters of Havasu Creek.

Rescue efforts, coordinated by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, the National Park Service, and tribal officials, were supported by an Arizona National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, according to Maj. Erin Hannigan.

Deputy Jon Paxton of Coconino County said the search was helmed by the National Park Service and confirmed Sunday that anyone requesting evacuation was taken to safety by Saturday afternoon.

A spokesperson for the National Park Service confirmed that everyone had been successfully evacuated but that a search remained ongoing for a missing Gilbert woman, Chenoa Nickerson.

Hannigan told The Arizona Republic that a crew of about five National Guard members, mostly volunteers, assisted in the rescue efforts at high-altitude areas near Havasupai Falls. The team landed the helicopter and evacuated those who were stranded.

"There was not what some people might think of dropping lines (from a helicopter) to pull people up. They were in an orderly fashion and ready to get on the aircraft," Hannigan said. "It was all very well organized by the tribe. They made our lives a lot easier."

The National Guard also deployed three supply drop-offs consisting of necessary supplies like food and water.

Hannigan said the National Guard concluded its side of the operation by about 1:30 p.m. Saturday and had no further orders to support rescue efforts on Sunday.

Hannigan reflected that she witnessed an impactful moment when National Guard members arrived at the scene to help victims of the flash flooding.

"When we got there, people were cheering. They were very vocal about sharing excitement to probably get home," Hannigan said.

Hannigan expressed pride in her fellow National Guard members who responded to the emergency, including one crew member who interrupted paternity leave to assist in the rescue efforts.

"Arizona is a small and big state, and the entire community is something that we hold dear, and so being ready and willing to support the community as a whole, it's just something that comes with a Guardsman," Hannigan said.

Deploying National Guard

Gov. Katie Hobbs deployed the Arizona National Guard on Friday evening in response to flooding at the Havasupai Indian Reservation, while Grand Canyon officials searched for a woman swept away by the waters of Havasu Creek.

Evacuation efforts are in progress in Supai Village, with the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs coordinating alongside tribal, county, state, and federal agencies, according to a news release from Hobbs' office. A Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter is being used for the evacuations, the release noted.

The impacted area is home to Havasu Falls.

"My heart is with all of the people impacted by the flooding in Havasupai, including Tribal members and visitors to the area. I am closely monitoring the situation and we have deployed the Arizona National Guard to get people to safety," read a statement by Hobbs. "The safety and security of Arizonans and all those who visit our state is always my top concern, and I’ll continue working closely with leaders on the ground to protect the Havasupai community."

The state's emergency operations center is at a Level 2, according to Hobbs' office.

Excessive flooding moved the Havasupai Tribal Council to close Supai through Sunday to visitors, including those with reservations, according to a Thursday post by the tribe's tourism page on Facebook. The tribe opened the Havasu Falls and Supai Village in February 2023 after years of being closed to visitors following COVID-19.

"The Council is actively engaged in safely evacuating those tourists that were in Supai at the time of the flooding. We kindly ask for your patience as we see to the health and safety of the tourists and the Tribal members," read a subsequent Facebook post on the page .

Nickerson, 33, went missing about 1:30 p.m. on Thursday during flash flooding approximately half a mile above the Colorado River, according to the National Park Service. It was noted that she was not wearing a life jacket at the time.

Nickerson is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the park service at 888-653-0009. As of Saturday morning, park officials had not provided The Arizona Republic with an update on her disappearance.

Search on: Gilbert woman swept away in flash flood at Grand Canyon

Multiple hikers stranded by the flash flood were rescued after a Thursday afternoon search and rescue mission, the parks service noted.

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Meet the North Jersey adoptable pets of the week for Aug. 23: Elmer and Nacho

Meet NorthJersey.com's adoptable pets of the week for August 23!

Each week, NorthJersey.com would like to highlight two adoptable animals from local shelters and rescues .

If you foster, work at, or volunteer with a North Jersey animal shelter or rescue and know of some animals who are in need of a loving fur-ever home please send a photo, description and adoption information to [email protected] to have your adoptable pets featured in the next edition.

This week we are featuring Elmer and Nacho from Home for Good Dog Rescue , a foster-based dog rescue based in Berkeley Heights.

Elmer is a chocolate labrador retriever mix who is fully grown at over 60 pounds and is estimated to be 5 years old. He was rescued from a high kill shelter in Swainsboro, Georgia where he was scheduled to be euthanized purely for space.

Now, over 175 days later, Elmer is still looking for his forever home and has not had a single application.

Elmer is a happy and friendly guy who loves to play fetch, go for walks, and spend time with his foster family. Although he loves toys, playtime, and a good adventure, he is also just as content to curl up on the couch with his foster family to watch a movie or check some emails.

Fully housebroken and crate trained, Elmer sleeps soundly through the night on his dog bed and is always excited to start a new day with plenty of cuddles and affection.

He does best in a calmer environment, without young children, other dogs or cats, where he can relax, go on plenty of walks, play fetch to his heart's content, and enjoy being the center of attention.

Elmer is neutered, up to date on age-appropriate vaccinations, and microchipped.

If you are interested in Elmer, visit the Home for Good Dog Rescue website at https://homeforgooddogs.org/adopt/ .

Nacho is a pug mix who weighs in at about 14.5 pounds and is estimated to be 3 years old. He was rescued from a hoarding situation in South Carolina where he and over 20 other pug mixes were living in a filthy, abusive home among their own feces and urine without any available food or water.

Together, Nacho and his pals have overcome so much and are learning the truest meaning of love and happiness. Since being rescued they have received the medical care and the extra TLC that they so desperately needed. Now, many of them are ready to find their forever home.

Although he can be a bit shy at first, Nacho is really learning to open up around humans and feels the most confident around other dogs. He would love a buddy at home with whom he can play and spend his time.

Nacho has been working hard on his leash training and is improving each day. He would love quiet evening walks with you as he learns to embrace the good things in life.

He loves his human and dog friends with all of his little heart and does well with cats and kids who can be courteous of his space as he gets acclimated. He is also neutered, up to date on age-appropriate vaccinations and microchipped.

Nacho is ready to find a loving home that will show him the care and happiness he deserves.

If you are interested in Nacho, or one of the other nearly 20 pug mixes that were rescued from South Carolina, visit the Home for Good Dog Rescue website at https://homeforgooddogs.org/adopt/ .

Battery fires 'top issue' for Fire and Rescue NSW as state reports more than six fires per week

By Jesse Hyland

Topic: Fires

A thumbnail showing different fires caused by battery faults.

There have been 185 battery fires in NSW from the beginning of the year to the start of August. ( ABC News )

There have been 185 battery fires in NSW from January 1 to August 1 this year, which is a 13.5 per cent increase over last year.

The NSW government announced new regulations for batteries.Those selling batteries not meeting the standards will be fined.

What's next?

The new standards will come into effect from February.

New South Wales is on track to surpass more than 300 reported battery fires this year alone, with firefighters battling two blazes in Sydney just this week.

An e-bike with a battery made by a third-party manufacturer caught on fire while being charged inside a home in Northmead on Tuesday evening.

The e-bike was being charged when it caught on fire. ( Supplied: Fire and Rescue NSW )

Emergency services arrived at the scene to find smoke and flames coming from the front door.

The blaze was quickly extinguished and one person was rushed to hospital with smoke inhalation.

The following morning another fire occurred when the battery inside a leaf blower caught on fire in the boot of a vehicle heading along a street in Willoughby East on Sydney's lower north shore.

The driver was able to pull over and remove the battery from his vehicle using a towel.

When firefighters found the battery, it was completely destroyed and smouldering.

A red towel with a burnt out lithium-ion battery on grass

The towel with the burnt out lithium-ion battery. ( Supplied: Fire and Rescue New South Wales )

There have been 185 fires attributed to lithium-ion batteries in the first seven months of the year, according to the latest Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) data.

This equates to more than six fires per week and an 13.5 per cent increase on 2023, when over the same period there were 163 fires.

It's a huge jump from the 109 from January to the end of July in 2022, the first year lithium-ion battery blazes were recorded.

'The fastest growing fire risk'

FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said battery fires were now a primary focus.

"I would say across firefighters in general, and the firefighting industry, it's the top issue at the moment getting attention, as it should be," he said.

A man in a black fire brigade uniform stands next to a police officer

FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell (left) said battery fires were the "top issue at the moment getting attention". ( ABC News: Harriet Tatham )

The department has referred to battery fires as "the fastest growing fire risk" in the state and people are four times more likely to be injured by a fire that originates from a lithium-ion battery than other sources.

Commissioner Fewtrell said FRNSW was working with other government agencies to determine the best way to address the rising number of fires in the state.

"First and foremost, we've got a big focus on getting as much community awareness and safety messaging out to make sure that people are aware of the potential dangers and know how to use their devices, then we're making sure our firefighters know how to deal with these incidents," he said.

An ebike factory in Croydon that caught on fire in January. ( Supplied: Fire and Rescue NSW\ )

CSIRO principal research scientist Adam Best said the increase in fires so far this year was in line with the huge number of battery devices currently in the market.

"I think most consumers would have multiple battery-operated devices in their house," Dr Best said.

"Depending on the type of product that they're purchasing, the quality of the product where they source that product from, maybe not all of those products might meet the appropriate standards for the level of safety that we would require from them.

"So, I see this increase as a number of things, just the sheer volume of batteries in the market, in different products, and the types of products that are available."

Biggest increases in small portable devices, e-bikes and e-scooters

Out of the 185 fires this year, the biggest increases came from small portable devices and micromobility devices, such as e-bikes and e-scooters.

A blackened burnt-out e-bike on a wooden floor

A burnt-out e-bike on a wooden floor. ( Supplied: Fire and Rescue New South Wales )

Bicycle NSW CEO Peter McLean has advocated against poor-quality and "dangerous" e-bikes being imported into the country.

"These products are giving e-bikes a bad name," he said.

"The only good thing about it is they are poor quality and they're not going to last long. But the downside of that is that they will pose a fire risk in the meantime."

A man in a grey suit smiles at the camera.

Bicycle NSW CEO Peter McLean has advocated against the importation of cheaply-made e-bikes. ( Supplied: Peter McLean )

Mr McLean has called on the federal government to cease self-declared advisory notices on the importation of e-bikes.

"When it comes to items that pose some type of risk including lithium-ion batteries, we need to make sure there are the appropriate standards in place to ensure that people are protected," he said.

"So it's about closing down that loophole and ensuring someone with the appropriate skills and experience is checking these products."

Last week, the NSW government announced new safety standards for e-bikes, e-scooters and other battery-powered products.

Sellers of these products who don't meet these standards can face fines of up to $825,000.

Commissioner Fewtrell said FRNSW backed the measures.

"I'm really pleased that NSW is leading the way in the regulation in these types of items in Australia because, you know, we've identified the issues across the NSW government," he said.

"We've worked together to flag our concerns and then identify approaches that that we can take."

A shed destroyed by a fire believed to be caused by an e-bike or e-scooter last month. ( Supplied: Fire and Rescue NSW )

Dr Best said the regulations were vital to protect those using battery-powered products.

"These standards are very specific as to the types of tests that have to be undertaken on the device to ensure that they that they provide the highest levels of safety," he said.

While the changes would likely result in these products being more expensive, Dr Best said it would "help in maybe removing some of the cheaper products that are found in the market" and "help guarantee a level of safety".

Quality ebikes 'provide an incredibly good opportunity'

Mr McLean said the standards could not come soon enough.

"The horse has already bolted, there's thousands and thousands of these products out in the marketplace," he said.

"There needs to be consistent standards, and the government needs to enforce them."

Mr McLean said there were plenty of "reputable", "reliable" and "safe" e-bikes coming out of the US and Europe that are "extraordinarily positive for our end of the mile solutions for personal transport".

"We don't want to see these types of devices demonised and alienated, because they do provide an incredibly good opportunity," he said.

The regulations come into effect from February next year.

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A black-and-white close-up photo Chris Murphy.

Opinion Guest Essay

The Senator Warning Democrats of a Crisis Unfolding Beneath Their Noses

Credit... Allison Minto for The New York Times

Supported by

By James Pogue

Mr. Pogue, a writer, started talking to Senator Chris Murphy two years ago.

Aug. 19, 2024

In December 2022, early into what he now describes as his political journey, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut gave a speech warning his fellow Democrats that they were ignoring a crisis staring them in the face.

For over a year, President Biden and his allies had been promoting data showing an economic miracle, as friendly pundits described it — a record-setting stock market, low unemployment and G.D.P. growth outpacing that of almost every other Western nation. But very few voters believed the story those metrics were telling. In poll after poll, they expressed a bleak view of the economy — to the frustration of both Democrats and many economists.

Mr. Murphy thought he knew why. “The challenges America faces aren’t really logistical,” he told the crowd. “They are metaphysical. And the sooner we understand the unspooling of identity and meaning that is happening in America today, the sooner we can come up with practical policies to address this crisis.”

The subject of the speech was what Mr. Murphy called the imminent “fall of American neoliberalism.” This may sound like strange talk from a middle-of-the-road Democratic senator, who up until that point had never seemed to believe that the system that orders our world was on the verge of falling. He campaigned for Hillary Clinton against Bernie Sanders during the 2016 primaries, and his most visible political stance up until then was his work on gun control after the Sandy Hook shooting.

Thoughtful but prone to speaking in talking points, he still comes off more like a polished Connecticut dad than a champion of the disaffected. But Mr. Murphy was then in the full flush of discovering a new way of understanding the state of the nation, and it had set him on a journey that even he has struggled sometimes to describe: to understand how the version of liberalism we’d adopted — defined by its emphasis on free markets, globalization and consumer choice — had begun to feel to many like a dead end and to come up with a new vision for the Democratic Party.

As the Democrats gather for their national convention this week, with Kamala Harris as their candidate for president, the party has a long way to go toward confronting the crisis Mr. Murphy sees.

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Flights for life: Doctor uses plane to rescue hundreds of dogs from high-kill shelters

"i decided to use my pilot skills to help a vulnerable population by doing as much as i can to hopefully better their lives and give them a second chance," dr. brian rambarran tells usa today..

A doctor in New York has taken it upon himself to not only save human lives but dog lives as well.

Dr. Brian Rambarran, a urologist based in Buffalo, New York is a licensed pilot, who helps keep dogs from being killed, working with animal shelters in New York and North Carolina to airlift dogs from animal shelters to foster homes. Pilots n Paws , a non-profit, helps link pilots to different rescues and shelters that help move animals around from high kill shelters.

"It was kind of natural thing. I became a pilot about 12 years ago, and I did it for many reasons," Rambarran told USA TODAY over the phone. "Part of it was to use my skills to help other people and animals; I fly for a couple different organizations and we fly sick children around. I also decided to fly for Pilots n Paws. I decided to do it because it was a way for me to do two things that I enjoyed: one which was flying and two, volunteering and helping others, and hopefully benefit society in a positive way."

Hundreds of rescues

In the last 12 years, Rambarran has rescued hundreds of dogs in his 5-seat Cirrus SR 22, which he flies every four to six weeks, picking up dogs from high kill shelters and dropping them off to foster and adoption homes. On his last flight alone, he picked 11 dogs, and on the flight prior to that 20, which is the maximum number of dogs he has carried on a single flight.

While Rambarran tries to move as many dogs as possible in one flight because "there are a lot of dogs in need," he does occasionally fly for emergencies.

"There was one dog that was pregnant, and she was special needs, and I think she needed some type of surgery too," Rambarran said. "So, I ended up just flying her solo."

Managing so many dogs of different ages and sizes at one time sounds like quite a task but Rambarran explained the process is very smooth since all the dogs are put in proper kennels to ensure their safety and health. The dogs are not mixed, and the families are kept together.

'A family affair'

Recently, Rambarran's two daughters, ages 10 and 12, have also started helping him in his mission and he says the rescues have "now become a little bit of a family affair."

"They'll come and help unload the dogs," Dr. Rambarran said. "They'll help pick out some of the rescue flights."

While Rambarran has primarily picked up dogs, he said animals rescues also include cats and even goats.

Rambarran explained that Pilots N Paws works as a message board and connects animal rescues and pilots across the U.S. so that help can be provided to all animals in need. Rambarran said he provides his services to a variety of shelters though a few of them have started to reach out to him directly, such as the Nickel City Canine Rescue in Buffalo. While his route is primarily between North Carolina and New York, he says he's open to going wherever help is needed.

Brandon Wolf, a board member of Nickel City Canine Rescue , told USA TODAY that they reached out to Rambarran in February to ask if he had time to help out with rescues at the organization and he "quickly hopped on board." Rambarran told the rescue about the shelter he worked with in North Carolina and three joined hands to help as my dogs as possible.

Wolf explained that Nickel City Canine Rescue provides foster homes only and does not have a shelter. He said the volunteer-based organization works closely with shelters and helps find homes for dogs and other animals. Once they are able to find foster homes for the dogs, they get in touch with Rambarran who then takes out his plane and flies the dogs from North Carolina to Buffalo, where they are met with foster parents.

"Dr. Rambarran doesn't ask for any reimbursements for his flying time, his fuel," Wolf said. "He does this only out of the kindness of his heart."

Helping the vulnerable

With only the fuel of each flight costing approximately $700 and a commitment of a few hours every few weeks, what made Rambarran pick up such a challenging mission?

"I've always been an animal lover. I've always been a dog lover," Dr. Rambarran said. "Animals are a population that can't really speak for themselves. Just like children, they can be vulnerable. I've always been an advocate for that, so I decided to use my pilot skills to help a vulnerable population by doing as much as I can to hopefully better their lives and give them a second chance."

Rambarran said his excursions bring him a lot of fulfilment "knowing that the dogs are going to a safe home," and are getting a second chance at life.

"They're going from a place where they could be euthanized at any time to a loving home, and getting a chance at a having a happy, fulfilling life and just knowing that alone brings me and my family happiness," Rambarran said.

Dr. Rambarran's own dog is also a rescue

Given how many dogs Rambarran has rescued over the years, it comes as no surprise that one of the three dogs he owns is actually one he rescued himself. His other two dogs, Lucy, 15 and Lola, 13 are a Yorkie mix.

Rambarran brought Toby, a 2-year-old terrier mix, to Buffalo on one of his rescue flights from North Carolina. The puppy had been found on the streets of North Carolina, underfed and malnourished, and was in a high kill shelter, where he could be killed any minute when he was rescued by a shelter and put in foster care. When Rambarran brought him to Buffalo on his flight, Toby ended up staying with him because he had nowhere to go due to some unforeseen issues. Toby was meant to stay with the doctor's family for only a few days but ended up getting adopted by them.

"He's a really good dog," Rambarran said. "He was about a year old at the time (of the rescue). Fast forward eight months and Toby was sitting on my lap on 'Good Morning America.' On national TV. It's an amazing story that he went from one extreme to the other."

Pilots N Paws hopes Rambarran's story will inspire others

Pilots N Paws, in a statement to USA TODAY, said the organization is "deeply moved by Dr. Brian Rambarran's enthusiasm for rescuing animals in need of transport through his gift of flight."

"Every day, we witness the incredible impact that compassionate pilots have on the lives of animals in need, and of which Dr. Rambarran's efforts are a powerful example," the statement said. "His work not only saves lives, but also inspires others to realize that they, too, can make a significant difference."

"We hope his story will encourage more volunteers to join our mission of providing free flights for rescue, service, and injured animals," the statement added.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

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Critical Essay: The rescue narrative essay
Plan for writing a rescue story
Narrative Essay
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Narrative Writing Assignment: A Rescue Story
Posted on: 02-2-2013 by: Brian Wasko. This assignment is narrative — meaning you are going to tell a story. Of course, there are many kinds of stories and deciding which kind to write might be a little overwhelming, so we have narrowed it down for you. This story is to be a "rescue story.". It will involve at least these two characters:
A Fateful Fishing Trip: A Tale of Survival Free Essay Example
In the days leading up to the expedition, my mind was consumed by dreams of the impending adventure. As the sun-drenched morning of our fishing trip dawned, we gathered at the yacht marina, greeted by the splendid sight of the cabin cruiser shimmering in the August sunlight. Aboard the boat, we ventured into the open sea, leaving the harbor behind.
50 Ways to Tell a (Rescue) Story: 7 Tips for Writers
If inspiration flagged, this was an inevitable sign that I either needed more research or to replace that story. Pay attention to that little voice. Write with passion: Of course, passion is the key ingredient in all writing. In every story, write something that makes you laugh, cry, or both.
5 of History's Most Dramatic Rescues
In October 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure became a household name when she stepped into an abandoned water well at her aunt's house in Midland, Texas. Stuck 22 feet beneath the surface in a ...
The Greatest Rescue Story Ever Told
While in the dark waves of the churning sea of an evil rebellious world, the light of God's rescue helicopter can be seen high up in the air, speeding its way to the rescue. The helicopter in the greatest rescue story ever told is shaped like a cross. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
A rescue story: ESL/EFL Lesson Plan and Worksheet
Rescuing one boy took about 8 hours. The last of the boys left the cave on July 10. The adventure, which lasted much longer than planned, found its happy ending. This comprehensive course plan covers the full range of language needs - listening, role play, vocabulary development. The lesson is built around a real story of a group of Thai boys ...
The Amazing Penguin Rescue
from "The Amazing Penguin Rescue". By Lauren Tarshis. Imagine you are an African penguin living on an island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. You live with tens of thousands of other penguins on a rocky beach. It's a typical day there in June—cold and windy. The beach echoes with penguin noises, barks and honks and brays.
PDF Examples of narrative essays
Examples of narrative essays The Rescue Everything had been totally different that Sunday morning, when the two boys had set out on their walk up the cool, pine-scented mountainside near the village where they lived. ... static on the walkie-talkies that the rescue workers carried to talk to each other. The mountainside was an eerie
The Best Wilderness Survival Strategies, Based on 103 Successful Rescue
Earlier this year, travel website SmokyMountains.com launched a self-funded comprehensive analysis of 103 successful Search and Rescue (SAR) attempts in the U.S. and Canada, taken from news ...
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I like how you build up to the sense of hope using the light. The story transitions from hopelessness to a sense of safety. To improve this essay, please include more of the senses to help the reader better imagine the surroundings. You should also be careful about the verb tenses. This story would benefit from a round of editing."
8 Most Inspiring Animal Rescue Mission Stories
Their story continues to touch the hearts of people around the world, serving as a beacon of hope for both humans and animals alike. Story 2: The Courageous Dog Rescue from a Burning Building The Fiery Predicament. In a heart-wrenching incident, a fire engulfed a residential building, trapping a helpless dog inside.
25 Incredible Rescue Stories That Will Blow Your Miund
On Oct. 13, 1972, 45 passengers, which included members, friends, and family of Uruguay's Old Christian Club rugby team, crashed in the Andes on their way from Montevideo to Santiago. While several passengers died either on impact or in an avalanche, 16 of the original 45 were eventually rescued via helicopter. 19.
Essay Writing: Survival & Rescue
Here are two true stories of survival and rescue. With detailed guidelines suggesting how to proceed, the student will read the texts, choose an essay topic from several suggested, take notes, organise those notes, and write an essay. This assignment will take at least one week to complete. Stories: Tracks In The Bush
Understanding Rescue: What Scholars Say
Cynthia Ozick. Cynthia Ozick is a short story writer, novelist, and essayist who has written frequently about the Holocaust. In the prologue to Gay Block and Malka Drucker's book Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust, she writes: . The neighbors are decent people—decent enough for ordinary purposes.
Narrative Writing: The Rescue
Narrative Writing: The Rescue. Subject: English. Age range: 14-16. Resource type: Lesson (complete) File previews. zip, 326.92 KB. Enable your students to focus on effective structure and language features by inspiring them to write a story with the title "The Rescue" by giving them a real life newspaper report on a dramatic mid-sea rescue ...
The Kiss of Life; A Story of Bravery and Survival
The Kiss of Life; A Story of Bravery and Survival. Tilan Nimesh. Nov 23, 2023 • 2 min read. Explore the compelling narrative behind an iconic image and its historical significance. Join us as we unravel the brave rescue that unfolded in Jacksonville, Florida, shedding light on the unsung heroes who went above and beyond to save a life.
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When the story of Shackleton's dramatic rescue mission finally hit the papers in early June 1916, it represented a rare moment of good news in the midst of the unrelenting misery of World War I. Dust off exclusive book deals and tales from the past when you join The Archive 's newsletter.
The Amazing Penguin Rescue
The Amazing Penguin Rescue. Students will read about the effects of an oil spill on penguins and the incredible efforts to save them. The article, written from the perspective of a penguin, will help readers understand the importance of author's craft and will build vocabulary. From the December 2017 / January 2018 Issue.
Essay About Rescue
Essay About Rescue. 1223 Words5 Pages. INTRODUCTION Rescue to me is about helping someone out of a situation that they don't want to be in. One that is beyond their capabilities. To rescue is to assist an individual in need, to help someone who cannot help themselves. Being able to get a patient to an emergency health care facility is just as ...
Free Essay: Rescue at Sea.
The panic-stricken look on our face said it all - we were stranded/left high and dry in the middle of nowhere! We were scared out of our wits. Mum was as white as a ghost. To make matters worse, without the engine, we were at the mercy of the sea. The waves were getting higher and the boat was taking in water, fast.
Flood Essay for Students and Children
500+ words Essay on Flood. Flood is one of the most dangerous natural disasters. It happens when excessive water is collected in any area. It usually happens due to heavy rainfall. India is highly prone to flood. There are many regions in the country that face this natural disaster because of the overflowing of rivers.
rescue stories Archives
rescue stories. commissioned portrait Daily Feature featured artwork pastel pastel painting pet portrait rescue stories Wednesday. July 2, 2024 Bernadette ... Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist's Life. Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Rescue. Tuesday: Rescue Stories. Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork.
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Animal Rescue Short Story. 905 Words4 Pages. Assignment Short Story The animal rescue industry doesn 't think that a girl is fit for the job. That's why you very rarely see woman diving into the freezing waters to save a dog or cat. Women are fragile said my father who believed women should stay home and take care of the kids.
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Several stories dominate Sunday's headlines including details of Sir Keir Starmer's forthcoming speech and a new picture of Hannah Lynch
Chargers players rescued from 'inoperable elevator' by Dallas Fire-Rescue
"The Los Angeles Chargers thank Dallas Fire-Rescue for their quick response, professionalism and substantial efforts in ensuring everyone's safety," the team said in a statement.
Arizona National Guard rescues over 100 after Havasupai flooding
Rescue efforts, coordinated by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, the National Park Service, and tribal officials, were supported by an Arizona National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter ...
Adoptable dogs from Home for Good Dog Rescue in Berkeley Heights
Nacho is a pug mix who weighs in at about 14.5 pounds and is estimated to be 3 years old. He was rescued from a hoarding situation in South Carolina where he and over 20 other pug mixes were ...
Battery fires 'top issue' for Fire and Rescue NSW as state reports more
New South Wales has reported 185 lithium ion battery fires up until August this year, with more than six battery fires per week. Fire and Rescue NSW has referred to battery fires as "the fastest ...
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Opinion Guest Essay. The Senator Warning Democrats of a Crisis Unfolding Beneath Their Noses. ... But very few voters believed the story those metrics were telling. In poll after poll, they ...
Flights for life: Doctor uses plane to rescue hundreds of dogs from
"We hope his story will encourage more volunteers to join our mission of providing free flights for rescue, service, and injured animals," the statement added. Saman Shafiq is a trending news ...

Narrative Writing Assignment: A Rescue Story

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