Derik Taber, New York City
Saved Hamster from Trash
My hamster Binny got her name because she was found in a garbage bin. I work for the NYC Department of Sanitation and was collecting trash along a block in Brooklyn. I was simply doing my job of tossing bags into the truck when one of them split open onto the sidewalk. As I was cleaning it up, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. To be honest, I first thought it was a rat, but soon realized it was a little hamster. Binny had been tied up with string and then taped inside a black bag before being thrown out with the trash. Fortunately the bag she was in had split open as well, and I was able to spot her. I took her home with me that night. Despite the awful way Binny had been treated, she is a very trusting and loving hamster.