Holy Cow!

A Barossa veterinarian joined with SES volunteers to help rescue a pregnant cow that had fallen into an old exploratory hole, at a former quarry site at Keyneton earlier this week.

Nine SES volunteers from the Kapunda and Salisbury Units, supported by five volunteers from the Keyneton CFS Brigade, spent more than three hours on the farm rescuing the cow, working with Dr Saul Morelli from Barossa Veterinary Service, who monitored the cow's condition throughout the operation.

Kapunda SES Deputy Unit Manager and Crew Leader at the time of the rescue, Gunther Schulze, said careful coordination was required between emergency services and veterinary support.

"Large animal rescues can be quite challenging, particularly when you're dealing with an animal of that size in a confined space," Mr Schulze said.

"We worked closely with the attending veterinarian throughout the operation to monitor the cow's condition and make sure we were doing everything possible to keep it safe."

Following a thorough examination, the cow was deemed to be in a stable condition, having sustained only minor cuts and bruises.

Mr Schulze said the successful rescue highlighted the importance of specialist training and equipment when responding to incidents involving large animals.

"There's a real risk of injury to both the animal and anyone attempting an untrained rescue. That's why our volunteers receive specialist training and use purpose-designed equipment to make sure these rescues are carried out as safely as possible," he said.

SES crews arrived at 11:04am and completed the rescue shortly after 2:06pm.
According to the SES website, volunteers who work in these sorts of situations use techniques and equipment that have been endorsed by animal welfare/veterinarian bodies.

Anyone interested in becoming a SES Large Animal Rescue Volunteer will find a registration form on the SES website or can phone for more information.
See next week's edition of The Leader for the full story.