Moment firefighters rescue cow from river in Cambridge by tying rope around its neck after it fell into the water and was stuck for hours
- The cow fell into the River Cam and firefighters assisted at 12.05pm yesterday
- She had been stuck in for a few hours and was unsettled before she was rescued
- Firefighters used a lasso to help her out under the watch of vet the City Pinder
A cow was tied up with a rope and rescued by firefighters after it fell into the River Cam yesterday.
The Red Poll cow became stuck in the river near near the Victoria Avenue bridge on Saturday at 12.05pm.
She spent a few hours in the wading up and down the river before firefighters got into the water to direct her towards Midsummer Common bank.
But she resisted and the firefighters were forced to tie a lasso around her neck to guide it to the banks as onlookers applauded.
Firefighters dragged a cow out of the River Cam in Cambridge with the help of a lasso yesterday after it fell in
The cow initially resisted firefighter attempts to direct her towards a bank, forcing them to use a rope and drag her out
After friendly boaters moved their boats to block both ends of the river that they eventually were able to lasso the cow and pull her out.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said: ‘Three crews were sent at 12.05pm to help a cow stuck in the water at Midsummer Common.
‘With assistance from the City Pinder, the owner and a local vet, they eventually managed to get the cow out.
‘This involved enlisting the help of two barge owners to manoeuvre their vessels to block the cow in as it was distressed and moving around.
The cow spent a few hours in the wading up and down the river before firefighters got into the water to direct her towards Midsummer Common bank
A large crowd gathers on the Victoria Avenue bridge to watch as the firefighters drag the cow onto the bank
‘Eventually the animal settled and it could be assisted back on to dry land.’
A witness said: ‘It was pretty hilarious watching the poor firefighters trying to coral the cow as a crowd of about 300 looked on.
‘They managed to coax it under the bridge and into an area where it could get out but the silly cow was having none of it and swam off downriver before getting stuck at the rowing houses.
‘It was trapped between houseboats and rowing clubs with nowhere to get out,’ they told CambridgeshireLive.
The cow was not harmed in the operation.