SINGAPORE – Mr Zul Awab was on his regular run at Bedok Reservoir on Nov 30 when his gut told him to peer into the storm drain near him.
In the light drizzle that afternoon, he saw a small black object at the side of the canal. He thought it was a terrapin at first, but on closer inspection, he realised it was a kitten.
The 48-year-old technical manager immediately video-called his wife to bring to him items such as towels and an umbrella from their home nearby. As the owner of three cats, she did not hesitate and dashed out in the rain, which was getting heavier.
Meanwhile, Mr Zul scouted for access ladders into the drain, but did not find any, he told The Straits Times in a phone interview.
“I shredded the towels my wife brought, attached them to a golf umbrella and slowly lowered the contraption into the drain. I was hoping for the cat to hop into the umbrella so I could ‘scoop’ it back to safety,” he said.
But, the kitten – drenched and afraid – avoided the umbrella instead, mewing loudly. To avoid the rising water, it clung on to the side of the drain, Mr Zul said.
Stumped, Mr Zul called his friends, Mr Mohammed Ali and Mr Syafiq Faiqsyazwi, who are Level 3 Industrial Rope Access Trade Association technicians. According to the association’s website, its rope access system is a safe way of working at height. A Level 3 technician is qualified to take part in complex rescue situations at height.
The duo, who were in Sungei Kadut, raced to Bedok Reservoir and quickly put on harnesses before abseiling into the drain.
“It was quite an ordeal. I was directing them from the railing, shouting, ‘The kitten is on your right! It is there!’ before they finally managed to catch it and put it in a bag,” he said.
The rescue operation took around 20 minutes as the kitten kept running away whenever they got closer to it, even hiding in the drain tunnel once.
He said a bystander told him she had called the authorities for help three days before the men’s rescue operation.
During the rescue, Mr Zul said a few people wearing vests with the National Parks Board (NParks) logo arrived at the scene after being alerted by the bystander.
Replying to media queries, Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) group director Chang Siow Foong said the service was alerted to the stranded kitten on Nov 30.
“The cat was rescued by members of the public and handed over to AVS when our contractors arrived at the location. The cat is currently under the care of AVS and has been assessed by our vet to be recovering well,” Dr Chang added.
Mr Zul and his wife filmed the rescue and posted the footage on TikTok, garnering around 33,000 views. Several netizens applauded Mr Zul and his friends’ efforts to save the kitten while risking their own safety.
Mr Zul said: “I was only thinking of saving a living being and bringing it to safety. It did not matter what animal it was, and I did not expect this situation to blow up either.”
He hopes to adopt the cat once AVS has finished its health checks.
