Cow rescue!

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I had intended doing a bit of fencing to better catch up a few twins for Dad. However, I forgot to bring along the bar I had some snares to set so I thought I'd have a mooch around the island and see if I'd spot a fox den, new path or anything else interesting.

 

I rounded a corner and :eek: there's a beast down in the shore. First thought is she's a goner, so I let out a shout and she rose her head Making my way down into the shore I went over to her and she stood up.

 

(Please note, this spot is a lot worse than the photos let on, 2d doesn't do it justice).

 

 

Now, how the hell do I get her up out of here :confused: Even for here this place is remote. Rang home to contact the owner to bring help and ropes.

 

She had been there minimum 36-48 hours, and I figure longer, the place was covered in dung and any accessible grass had been eaten. She was at that point that she was drinking salt water from pools :(

 

This is where I figure she fell down, I think she was looking for water as there's not a drop in the particular area, there was hair coming down on the rocks off the bank above:

 

 

Here's where she made her bed:

 

 

Meanwhile, back at cliff rescue HQ I was doing some scouting about.

 

There's a cliff on the other side and no fair play beyond those rocks even if she could get up on them which she couldn't. Half thought about swimming her out if I had rope but she'd never keep her head up :

 

 

Then I saw this place :cool: If I can get her up on that slate to the far right, surely she'll make it to the top. Just have to haul rocks up from the shore to fill a big hole between the rock and the slate:

 

 

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I got her up into that corner where she stubbornly refused to turn right, ho-hum, and they say sheep are stupid :confused:

 

 

 

My narrow escape

 

I put myself between the rock face and her hips, tapping her head with my crook to turn her. Oh no, turn? Forget that, try pinning me against the rock face, the problem being my right leg, which I couldn't bend cos of where I was stood. She put weight on my knee and bent it towards me left leg :eek:

 

Ouch.

 

Just ouch.

 

After a bit of a sit down, thinking "No good deed goes unpunished" I heard her move She started nibbling the grass on the slate I wanted to get her up on. So I hobbled up to her again and she was on the move along my little causeway and up onto the slate

 

And then....

 

She stumbles at the top :eek: I scrambled up the slate after her, where she'd managed to throw herself onto the grass, but started to roll over onto her right shoulder and started going over the edge of the bank - 8 - 10 foot drop onto rock = dead/screwed beast.

 

Grabbed her by one of the back legs and the tail and threw myself backwards. Then she started with the front feet towards the edge so I let go her back leg, grabbed her tail with both hands and just yanked her back towards the grass:

 

 

Sorry, but no sheep is THAT stupid!!

 

I had to put myself on the edge of the bank between her and the drop to keep her up, if I were a jockey I'd have been banned for use of the stick but it was that or let her over the edge.

 

Couple of views of where she was stuck:

 

 

 

 

Owner + help arrived after about an hour. Slow & steady wins the race and we eventually got her out of the middle of nowhere and back with the other cattle. I put in my tuppence worth on what should be done with her for her own benefit, not up to me whether it's done or not but I'll be having words again if it's not after what I went through to get her out of that place.

[jams 4]

grat read mate must have been i right struggle

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Thanks Jams, it would have been a lot easier had I the bottom full of a bag of beef nuts! Couldn't leave her there in the state she was in, feel pretty good about getting her out

[freem 25]

fair play to you, she got herself into a right one there.. any longer and she would have been for the crows

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Yeah, if you look at the top right corner of the first photo you'll see a ravens nest. so they wouldn't have had far to go for dinner!

[MUDD 374]

Well done mate not ur average walk along the coast mind u. Lol

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Well done mate not ur average walk along the coast mind u. Lol

 

Certainly not lol, it was only by chance, if I'd brought along the bar for the fencing I'd never have gone over that side of the island at all.

[billybaltic 308]

I was wondering what type of nest it was{sorry i can't help it, from when i was young} anyway looked a great place, just not for cow's, you done a great job there, must of drove you mad, good luck.