It was a sad day for the animal rescue community the other day when they lost the incredible Seuk Kim. Seuk Kim was a 49-year-old Virginia pilot who had dedicated his life to rescuing various shelter dogs who would have otherwise been killed in. He spent his life helping to transport these dogs safely to non-kill shelters or their forever homes. As a husband, father of three, and avid animal lover, his light shone incredibly bright. Now the community, his family, and the world mourn after learning that this animal rescue pilot died in an insane plane crash.
Tragic Accident: Animal Rescue Pilot Dies In Crazy Plane Crash
Screenshot from Seuk Kim's wife's Facebook page
Seuk Kim was just on another rescue mission. The NY Post reports that had been "flying three dogs from Maryland to Albany" for a non-profit organization. All was going well until he was about 35 miles out from his destination. That is when turbulent weather made this trip take a turn for the worst. Fox 5 DC reported that Kim had asked to change altitude due to low visibility and bad turbulence. However, shortly after his request his plane went down in the forest.
The unfortunate plane crash killed the animal rescue pilot and one of the three dogs on board. However, two of the three dogs incredibly survived. One was a Labrador-mix puppy named Whiskey, who suffered from two broken legs. The second was an 18-month-old Yorkie terrier named Pluto. Pluto amazingly survived with only minor injuries. The dogs were taken to Pieper Memorial Veterinary Center and were treated for their injuries.
Many Mourn
Animal rescue pilot Seuk Kim's family mourns their tragic loss. His wife went on Facebook and shared how heartbroken she was. She wrote, "He is my life long partner, my soul mate, father of my children. I miss him and his bright personality." However both she and her daughter stated that at least he passed doing what he loved, rescuing dogs.
Many pet rescue organizations are also saddened that this incredible man died in a plane crash. One of those organizations is Squishy Face Crew in Virginia. They shared a heartfelt Facebook post saying how wonderful of a man Seuk was. SFC wrote, "We had the pleasure of meeting Seuk many times, as he spent countless hours flying animals from shelters to rescues all across the east coast, and he even adopted one of our kittens!"
They even admit that they saw him right before the crash. "We saw him just yesterday afternoon at a local airport while picking up our own dogs, moments before he embarked on his last rescue mission. As always, Seuk was upbeat, smiling, and happy- we never once saw him in a bad mood!"
The world lost an incredible man, may he and that unfortunate pup who also lost its life rest in peace.
