Ohio Firefighters Rescue Kittens Thrown Off Bridge Into Icy River

It was all hands on deck when a call came in about a box of kittens stranded in the icy Tuscarawas River.

Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Department, Arrowhead Joint Fire District, Tuscarawas County Humane Society staff and Humane Officer Jim Hitchcock immediately responded.

According to the animal shelter, the kittens were “thrown off a bridge” and stranded on ice. However, the ice was melting, and rescuers needed to act fast.

Firefighters decided a water rescue was going to be the safest way to rescue the kittens. They used a dinghy to reach the box that was sitting on a piece of ice and found two kittens inside. The third kitten was spotted on a slab of ice and was rescued before it plummeted into the freezing water.

The shelter thanked everyone involved, especially the firefighters. They wrote, “Without Gnadenhutten Fire Department, these kittens would not of survived. The responders were able to retrieve the kittens right before the ice broke away.”

The heroes posted, “Glad we could help these little kittens today.”

The kittens are safe at the shelter and will be examined by a vet before being put up for adoption.

One of the onlookers replied to the post to share that it was kids who called for help. “Nobody mentioned the little kids from Port Washington that actually called for help. We were in the area and stopped to ask what was going on, kids and parents were waiting on someone to come help.”

Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help in finding the cruel person(s) responsible. Sheriff Orvis L Campbell said, “If you know who is responsible for this abuse, please call us at (330) 339-2000 so we can pay these individuals a visit.”

Thankfully, no one was harmed. Be sure to follow Tuscarawas County Humane Society on Facebook for more updates and to see when the kittens will be ready to find forever homes.