When I saw news and video of the wildfires raging through Southern California, I thought not only of the humans but also of the animals, both pets and wild animals. Not all of them can escape the flames! It’s devastating to lose your home, but even more devastating to lose your life. Here’s a video that’s gone viral, showing what YouTube describes as this: “A man pulled over on the highway and braved raging flames to rescue a wild rabbit as the Thomas Fire advanced in Ventura county.
I read somewhere else that he refused to make a statement to a reporter, perhaps because he was too concerned about the animal. Lovely guy!
Was he saving wildlife, or just picking up some dinner?
Hey, look, it’s half-cooked already!
I saw that and it moved me to tears – what a wonderful young man!
I too feel deeply concerned for all the wildlife that might perish in forest fires, I always have. So many species simply cannot escape these fires. This concern was awakened in me when I was a child, after having seen “Bambi”, the Walt Disney movie – the forest fire scene terrified me!
I wonder what will the people of California do. Will they make changes, maybe build different structures, different places or just do the same again. How about in Houston or Florida or Puerto Rico. The memory is very short. Lots of people in Puerto Rico moving to Florida. Now there is a smart move.
Nothing will change. These aren’t the first fires in the area.
From the NYTimes: “The Bel-Air homes engulfed by the fires, he [Jeff Hyland, real estate broker] said, are mostly older homes on smaller, hillside lots. Some of the houses were built more than 30 years ago and likely would not have fire-resistant ceramic-shingle roofs that are up to modern fire codes…” So yes, things do change. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/us/california-fires.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article
I just heard a man from Ojai on the radio saying that the worst sounds he could hear were those of trapped coyotes in the hills.
Ah man, I hate hearing stuff like that. I feel more sorry for the animals than the humans since the former have no advantage in such a situation.
I know. Too late, I realized that I really should have prefaced my report with “Trigger Warning,” even on this site. After all, even PCC[E] on occasion gives such warnings when he thinks one is warranted. Cruel reality to be sure aside, I don’t like to be surprised by something that, even though the report caught me by surprise and wrenched me deeply; I should have thought for a moment before inflicting it on readers.
That’s fine Jenny, I like to know reality; no long-term harm done to my psyche.:) If you prefaced “Trigger Warning” with a link I probably would have clicked on it anyway.
I’m not sure why its necessary to rank our degrees of sorriness. The fires have devastating consequences for people, domestic animals (e.g. a number of horses killed I believe) and wildlife. It’s all horrible.
In addition to the furry wildlife that prompts rescues like this one and a widespread emotional response, we should also consider the large numbers of snakes, lizards, insects and so on that are inevitably killed by events like this one. I hope that there will have been sufficient unburnt refuge areas from which species such as these will be able to repopulate areas that have been cleaned out by the fires. This is an important reason why we should guard against excessive fragmentation of natural habitats by development as otherwise events that populations can, in time bounce back from, lead to permanent extinctions.
This man could have died brutally.
Film director Duncan Gibbins did after being burned years ago in another Los Angeles wildfire while trying to rescue a cat, which survived.
These fires are staggeringly catastrophic. What with climate change and all, one wonders if in the future they might render much of California uninhabitable.
A sickening number of the comments under the YouTube video attack this guy for saving the rabbit.
I stopped in to write that seeing things like this gives me hope that maybe humanity will make it after all. But then your comment reminds me that it isn’t a sure thing.
Thanks for harshing my mellow!
Dramatic scene, it’s wonderful watching a person risk so much for another living creature.
When the Bel-Air fires were raging, I heard on the radio that one of Rupert Murdock’s mansions was on fire. Sorry Rupert, just because you don’t believe in climate change, doesn’t mean it won’t affect you.
He has other homes to hang out in while this one is rebuilt.
Aint that the truth. And if the tax-scam bill goes through, he’ll be able to buy another one post haste.
“Please don’t fling me back in dat brier-patch, Br’er Man!”
My brother fought fires in Eastern Washington during the 1990s. One of the sad facts is that sometimes the fire is spread by fleeing wild life who are themselves on fire. “Burning bunnies” crossed more than one fire break they’d just made making them start all over.
And didn’t some biblical dude set fire to foxes’ tails and let them loose in somebody else’s fields?
As I recall this bit of terrorism and sadistic animal cruelty was regarded as a clever thing to do and reported in terms of praise. This shocked me at the time (Sunday School). The Bible really is a loathsome document. And everybody in it is a bunch of smug, vindictive, utter bastards.
cr
Seems foolish of the man, but many heart warming and kind things are, so I don’t begrudge his risk taking.
I’d do it.
Well, I’m not sure if I’d start, but if I started, I’d probably persevere with it like the guy did.
I certainly would for a hedgehog.
cr
Yes viral, I saw this over here on BBC TV News. Others stations are also showing it. The rescuer’s plight was painful to witness but he did the job and all well in the end.