First responders with Columbus Fire and Rescue embarked on an unusual rescue operation Thursday night after getting a call shortly after 5 p.m. that three cows were stuck in the mud of the Tombigbee River off Laws Shoals Road.
The cattle were stuck in the water for several hours while firefighters employed auto extraction airbags commonly used to lift vehicles, CFR Public Information Officer Anthony Colom said.
“We use those to actually lift the cars off the ground in case we have to get underneath the cars to put some … wood blocks to stabilize the vehicle,” Colom said. “They were going to try to use that to lift the cows because, from what I understand, they were in like one to two feet of mud and water.”
There were no witnesses to tell CFR responders how exactly the cows got stuck, but it was about 8:30 p.m. before the first was freed. Firefighters piloting a CFR boat guided the bovine to a boat ramp where it finally could walk out of the water. The other two were rescued shortly after.
One of the cows was pregnant, but neither she nor the other two were injured during the rescue, Colom said.
Colom said the cattle were on private property at the time of the incident. He did not identify the cattle’s owner.
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