A COW that fell into a hidden underground Victorian icehouse sparked an extraordinary 11-hour rescue operation on a Scottish farm last week.
While the 500kg heifer managed to get through the small hatch, there was no obvious way of removing her from the way she had fallen in.
Specialist resources from across the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were mobilised to the incident, including Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), one heavy rescue unit and on call firefighters from Kelso Fire Station.
During the rescue, a drone from Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team was lowered to explore the bunker. This confirmed the presence of an old door which had been bricked up.
Using a digger, the ground was removed to expose the old walls of the building, which then allowed USAR and heavy rescue teams to create space for the cow to climb out to freedom.
Tom Baird, the owner of the heifer who became trapped, said: “A huge thank you to all of the fire service and mountain rescue personnel, estate staff, farm contractors and vets who safely rescued the heifer.
“Their professionalism and training ensured she was rescued safely and is back on the farm with very little sign of what she went through for 11 hours.”
SFRS group commander Les Mason said: “I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the fire service personnel and partners that were involved in this rescue, and I am delighted that there was a positive and safe outcome to this incident.
“Specialist resources were mobilised to the farm, and the animal was released following extensive partnership work alongside Tweedy Valley Mountain Rescue, owner Tom Baird, estate workers and farm contractors.
“As a humanitarian organisation, our highly skilled crews answer a wide range of calls to help animals in distress across the country.
"Our response by trained and equipped firefighters can prevent members of the public from putting themselves in danger by attempting their own rescue. It also means there is a higher chance of the animal being rescued safely.”
