Donkeys have a reputation for being stubborn. But in the case of “poor Amigo”, a donkey who has been rescued by firefighters from a field in Shropshire, it wasn’t stubbornness that kept him stationary – it was mud.
A spokesperson from Shropshire fire and rescue said a team of “10 or 11 firefighters” attended a call to rescue the hapless animal, who got stuck in waist-deep mud after falling into a hidden storm drain covered in leaves.
Logging the incident as “one donkey, stuck in storm drain”, firefighters used straps and lines to pull Amigo out safely, after a vet sedated the trapped animal to ensure it did not panic and injure itself.
The two-hour rescue took place at a farm on Friday morning and involved the service’s specialist animal rescue team.
A spokesperson said the firefighters could immediately see, upon their arrival, that “poor Amigo” was “in a predicament”.
“His rear legs had fallen into an old storm drain, which had been covered by foliage, and the owners were unaware it was there. He was reasonably calm but unable to get himself out.
“Once the vet arrived and the animal rescue team had formulated a plan to rescue Amigo, he was sedated to avoid injury to himself or the crews. Then, it was all hands on deck to pull him to safety using straps and lines.
“Once free of the drain, he was able to stand, and the vet checked him over. Thankfully, he was none the worse for his ordeal, and we’re sure he was happy to be free again.”
The donkey has now been reunited with his owner.
On a post shared on social media, a spokesperson for the fire service wrote: “We were so pleased to be able to ASSist [sic] Amigo.”
