Irish Coast Guard rescues stranded cow on Donegal shores
Stephen Maguire
A major rescue operation was launched in Co Donegal after a cow became trapped after falling down a steep embankment.
The incident happened on the shores of Lough Swilly on Wednesday afternoon.
The animal tumbled down the embankment between Inch Island and the Farland Banking and a local passer-by called emergency services.
The Irish Coast Guard was alerted and immediately rushed to the scene in a bid to assess the situation.
A hoist was set up and a number of members of the Irish Coast Guard abseiled down to reach the stranded cow.
The members then managed to coax the cow further down the embankment towards the shoreline.
The high tide was moving rapidly and fears grew that the animal may then be trapped once again.
However, there was a happy ending when the cow simply walked along the shoreline and returned to the local field.
