A Lifeboat crew in Waterford were called out to deal with a rather unusual situation over the weekend, as they were challenged with the task of rescuing a cow that was stuck at the bottom of a cliff.
The volunteer crew from Dunmore East RNLI set about on their all-weather lifeboat shortly before 4pm on Saturday at the request of the Irish Coast Guard, after it was reported that a small boat with three people on board was in difficulty. It was originally thought that the vessel was in close proximity to rocks just under Creadan Head in the Waterford Estuary approximately two miles north east of Dunmore East.
The Trent Class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald arrived on scene five minutes after launching. But they were amazed at what came upon after they had arrived. The RNLI released the following statement describing the incident.
“The lifeboat crew noted that the small boat was not in actual difficulty but was trying to rescue a cow which had fallen over a cliff and was stranded at the bottom,” the RNLI said in a statement.”The RNLI crew assisted the three people by setting up a rope system for them and together with the assistance of Dunmore East Coast Guard the cow was brought ashore safely.” “As a lifeboat crew we never know what we might be facing each time we are called,” said Dunmore East RNLI Deputy Coxswain Ray Power.
“In this case thankfully the actual call was not as serious as we first thought, but we were glad we could help all the same and bring the cow to safety.”