CFA firefighters rescued a curious cow after she wandered out of her paddock into a nearby dry dam, where she became stuck in the mud.
CFA brigades from Bayles, Macclesfield, and Lang Lang responded to the incident on 16 June around 5.40pm on a property in Bayles.
Bayles Fire Brigade was first on the scene and called in support from Macclesfield, which has the skills and equipment to conduct a large animal rescue.
In safe hands, crews set up Dora for a safe removal with a local vet, who oversaw the rescue and helped sedate the cow to keep her comfortable and relaxed.
Lindsay Knowles, 3rd Lieutenant from Bayles brigade, commented on the unique nature of the rescue.
“It is always terrible to see an animal in distress, but it certainly wasn’t a run-of-the-mill incident for Bayles,” Lindsay said.
“Volunteers from Bayles did a fantastic job setting up the scene and supporting Macclesfield in pulling the cow out.”
Macclesfield Captain Sharon Merritt from the large animal rescue unit said Dora was quite a large cow, which made the rescue challenging in low light.
“We were grateful to have Lang Lang Fire Brigade on the scene for lighting and the support of local crews,” Sharon said.
“With the drought conditions, property owners need to be wary of dry dams following the rain. It creates muddy pools where animals can easily mistake them for solid ground.”
The rescue took around an hour, with the owners waiting for their beloved Dora to reach solid ground, offering her bread and a safe place to rest and recover. Hopefully Dora’s “exploring” days are over for now.
