Going gets trough as stuck cow rescued by firefighters

A THIRSTY cow got more than it bargained for when it had to be hauled out by firefighters after becoming stuck in a water trough.

Responding to a call-out by a member of the public around 1.40pm on Tuesday, the rescuers arrived at rented fields in Breamore to find the 12-month-old steer wedged inside the aluminium container and unable to stand up.

A vet had to be called out to sedate the unfortunate cow before the team set to work, including a fire crew from Fordingbridge and animal rescue specialists from Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst.

Having been shifted out of the trough and placed on a glide sheet, it was then pulled by the team into a containment area.

From there, the farmer who owns the animal was able to take it back to the nearby farm on a trailer once it had recovered from the sedation.

The operation was coordinated by animal rescue lead Jim Green and took over two hours in total.

“The steer was sat down in the trough like a dog,” Mr Green said afterwards.

“Cattle stand up from the back and it couldn’t get its backside up, so there was no way it could get up on its own.

“They’re powerful animals, and if it had not been sedated it could have broken its legs struggling to get out.”