SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Seuk Kim saved lives. Seuk Kim was 49 years old and originally from South Korea. He and his wife, Anna Kang, had three children and lived in Springfield, Virginia. He worked in marketing and public relations and loved flying. He began to volunteer to fly rescue dog missions about four years ago, piloting as many as three flights a week so he could bring dogs for whom there was no room at a shelter to places that would take them in.
He was at the controls of a small aircraft last Sunday night when it crashed in the snows of the Catskill Mountains. Several rescued dogs were on board, who Mr. Kim was flying from Maryland to the animal shelter of Schoharie Valley in Howes Cave, New York. Over the years, Seuk helped to save the lives of hundreds of animals who would have otherwise been euthanized due to overcrowding at animal shelters, Maggie Pryor, director of that shelter, told us. I think Seuk Kim might have been happy to have us know that Whiskey, a 4-month-old Labrador mix puppy, survived the crash. He has two broken legs but is recovering. And Pluto, an 18-month-old terrier mix dog, also survived and may already have been adopted. A small puppy named Lisa sadly did not survive.
I did a story once on animal rescue flights. They can be moving and inspiring but also messy and loud. Dogs and cats don't know they're being rescued. The noise and rumble of the airplane can upset them. There can be a lot of laughing and a lot of howling, and pilots of those flights have a special dedication. This summer, Seuk Kim flew a golden retriever who became known as Connie the Container Dog to safety. She'd been heard scratching and barking after over a week inside a shipping container at the Port of Houston. Connie eventually lost her life to a fungal infection, but she lived to give birth to eight puppies.
And just last month, Seuk Kim flew a dog and her five puppies, who were scheduled to be euthanized at an overcrowded shelter in Tennessee, to a rescue center in Maryland. Sydney Galley, who also works rescue flights, told the AP that Seuk Kim never needed recognition. He just wanted to help. Anna Kang wrote on Facebook that in the crash of his plane, her husband gained his angel wings. The animals Seuk Kim flew through the skies couldn't use words to ask for help, but he heard about them and brought them to warmth and safety.
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