This Man Rescues Animals from Disasters and Insists He’s Not a Hero
Welcome to a story that will melt your heart.
Keith Benning, of Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue, is extremely dedicated to his work. He goes into disaster zones, whether it’s in the aftermath of a hurricane or tropical storm, with a sole purpose: to rescue any animal that has been left behind.
But it’s the way that he does it that is so remarkable.
He does it with such compassion and empathy, and realizes that he’s just one person in the chain of animal rescue. While he does everything he can to get animals to safety, he’s reliant on others to take care of the medical assessment, treatment, and rehoming process that is required following his rescue.
Keith’s animal shelter is essentially an extension of his home. One third he lives in, and the other section is dedicated to rescuing and temporarily housing the animals that he brings in to his initial care.
Even the section that he lives in is full of animals, as he just loves being around them so much! When Keith started his not for profit in 2014, it was a struggle just to keep afloat. He estimates that he was rescuing around 20-30 animals each month, but that range has grown to between 60 and 100 in the present day.
In total, Keith estimates that his shelter has rescued somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 animals in total, which is a truly remarkable effort in just seven years of operation. He and his team have undergone a wealth of animal rescue training to ensure they’re fully skilled to carry out their work, to ensure the animals they find have the best chance of survival.
When they rescue animals, their goal is to ultimately reunite them with their owners. If they can’t do this, they clean them up, make sure they’re healthy, and then search for their forever home. It’s a long and difficult process, but something that the team is extremely motivated to complete.
To find out more about the incredible work of Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue, or to contribute whatever you can to their efforts, please visit their website.
And in spite of Keith’s insistence that he isn’t, I’m here to tell you that he is a hero, and an inspiration to us all.
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