Stranded cat on Metro pillar evades rescue

Kochi: Animal rescue activists, the fire force and Kochi Metro Rail (KMRL) authorities joined hands on Sunday to rescue a stray cat stranded for over a week atop a Metro pillar near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kaloor. However, after more than six hours of efforts in the afternoon, the rescue attempt had to be called off as the frightened animal retreated into the girder's narrow gaps, forcing authorities to suspend operations by 5.15pm. The mission is expected to resume after 11.30pm, once Metro services are suspended for the night.KMRL suspended metro services for 17 minutes to facilitate the rescue mission. Power supply to the line was disconnected at 4.44 pm and restored shortly afterwards to allow train operations to continue. Road traffic in the area was also regulated during the rescue attempt. This is the third such incident in recent years involving cats stranded on Metro pillars in the city. Officials from the Gandhi Nagar fire station said the cat had been stuck atop pillar number 556 for more than a week. An earlier attempt to rescue it had failed. "We resumed the operation around Sunday noon using a hydraulic crane arranged by staff from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Fire force personnel were lifted to the top of the pillar, and one of them even stepped onto the beam in search of the cat. However, the animal kept moving into small gaps inside the girder, making it impossible to retrieve it. We plan to resume the mission after 11.30 pm," a fire force official said.Rescuers left fish and water on the pillar for the cat before suspending the operation in the evening. Local autorickshaw drivers have nicknamed the animal after Subash, the character who falls into the Guna Cave in the film ‘Manjummal Boys'.The operation also faced a setback when the crane developed a technical fault, leading to a hydraulic oil leak onto the road. A replacement crane was subsequently arranged. SPCA Ernakulam district secretary T K Sajeev said cats typically end up on Metro pillars after being chased away by security personnel at stations, eventually climbing down into the pillars. He urged KMRL to implement preventive measures.