‘救援’ (jiùyuán) is a compound noun meaning ‘rescue operation’ or ‘rescue effort’. It combines two characters: 救 (jiù), meaning ‘to save’ or ‘to rescue’, and 援 (yuán), meaning ‘to aid’ or ‘to assist’. Together, they emphasize organized, often urgent assistance to people, animals, or environments in danger — such as during natural disasters, accidents, or wildlife emergencies. The term implies coordinated action by professionals (e.g., firefighters, veterinarians, or animal welfare teams) rather than casual help.

It’s commonly used in news reports, official announcements, and humanitarian contexts. While it can apply broadly (e.g., earthquake rescue), its inclusion in the ‘Animals’ topic reflects frequent usage in wildlife conservation — for example, rescuing injured pandas, stranded dolphins, or pets trapped in floods. Unlike the verb 救 (jiù) alone, 救援 functions almost exclusively as a noun and rarely appears as a verb without additional particles like 进行 or 开展.