Del Abra continues string of animal rescues

Special from the City of Port Isabel 

On Thursday, July 16, Port Isabel Police Department got a call about a cat on the Queen Isabella Causeway. 

Port Isabel Animal Control Supervisor Oscar Del Abra got the early morning notification and headed to the scene, assisted by Port Isabel Police Department officer Samuel Sauceda.

Del Abra is armed with an animal control pole and lots of experience. Officer Sauceda controls traffic as the frightened kitten was determined not to accept the help. Del Abra, determined to rescue him, was not going to leave without the feline. Skittering around the pole and Del Abra, the kitten went over the edge of the bridge and ended up in the Laguna Madre Bay. Not one to give up, Del Abra hurried off the Causeway and down to the Dolphin Docks, using the pilings to position himself and make the water rescue. The kitten would have most certainly drowned if not for Del Abra’s tenacity. Now, just a week later, the 12 – 16-week-old male kitten has gone through the first round of boosters and is waiting to be adopted.

No name, yet, but Lexus Martinez, Administrative Assistant at the Isabel Y. Garcia Animal Shelter in Port Isabel, has announced a naming contest. A poll will be available on the Isabel Y. Garcia Animal Shelter’s Facebook page, @isabelygarcia262.

As for kittens on the Causeway, this was not Del Abra’s first rescue. 

“About a year ago, a call came into the Port Isabel Police Department, and I went to the Causeway and drove 2.6 miles across on the eastbound side and there was no sign of the kitten,” Del Abra said. “On the return back to Port Isabel, there was that kitten, hidden in a little opening in the barrier. I was able to grab that cat before it jumped off the bridge.”

Port Isabel Police Chief Robert Lopez, who assisted on the call, later adopted the kitten.

In 2018, Del Abra responded to a 9-1-1 call about an injured seagull on the Causeway, which turned out to be an Osprey. Del Abra successfully rescued the osprey. 

The osprey now resides at Gladys Porter Zoo after making a full recovery.

At the city’s animal shelter, Martinez said “kitten season is in full swing.” Adoption fees are still waived for the several kittens at the shelter.

The Shelter also has a Foster Program. The Foster Program allows a home to temporarily house a cat or dog for 4 weeks to 2 months while the animal can learn socialization and acquire other skills that make an adoption more attractive. There are also a number of dogs with heartworm issues who are undergoing treatments, but all costs for the heart worm treatment are paid for by the City of Port Isabel and through generous donations. All the Foster must do is provide food, love, attention, a safe and secure environment and make sure the pet gets to the required appointments.

For more information or to make an appointment to see if your next best friend is waiting for you, call (956) 943-3888 or visit https://www.facebook.com/isabelygarcia262.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2020/07/24/del-abra-continues-string-of-animal-rescues/

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