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AssetID: 35778089

Headline: Drowning Sheep Rescued From Freezing River

Caption: Animal rescuers had to come to aid 16 sheep drowning in a Hertfordshire river. RSPCA officers, Highways England workers and fire & rescue crews staged a three and a half-hour rescue mission in a bid to save 16 sheep who became stranded in a river. The RSPCA was alerted to the plight of the flock after a lorry driver spotted them trapped in a river as he travelled along the M1 near Watford, Hertfordshire, on Wednesday (12 December). Animal collection officer (ACO) Kate Wright and animal welfare officer (AWO) Pete Warne rushed to the scene to help the drowning sheep. ACO Wright said: “The only access to the sheep was via the motorway hard shoulder so we called in officers from Highways England to help. We also requested assistance from Hertfordshire Fire & rescue Service and a crew from Garston Blue Watch and the Hatfield Water Rescue Team came to help.” Sadly, seven of the ewes had already perished in the cold, deep water but officers managed to pull nine out of the river alive. “It was so upsetting that some of the sheep had died but I’m so pleased we were able to save nine lives,” ACO Wright added. “Thank goodness the lorry driver spotted these stricken sheep and called us for help or they all would have died. The sheep all had sodden fleeces so were extremely heavy to pull out of the river, many of them were struggling to keep their heads above the water. “The sheep had access to the river for their water source but there were a lot of overgrown reeds at the edge so we believe they may have mistaken it for riverbank and fallen in.” AWO Warne went into the water in his drysuit* with two firefighters and used an inflatable to pull the sheep up to the bank so ACO Wright and two other crew members could start to dry them off with blankets. They checked all of the sheep for any injuries and wrapped them in blankets to help them slowly warm up. “Some of the sheep made fairly quick recoveries and soon returned to grazing in the field but some were very weak and completely exhausted so we kept them wrapped in blankets for longer and did our best to rub them dry,” ACO Wright added. “It was such a cold day so the water must have been freezing. Had we not have got there when we did I’m certain they wouldn’t have survived in the water for much longer. “This goes to show how important it is for farmers and livestock keepers to check on their animals regularly. Defra’s codes of practice for livestock say they should be checked at least once a day.” A spokesman for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue said: "We are happy to assist in animal rescues when we are available and able to do so. Our firefighters have the training and the specialist equipment and sometimes we are the only organisation who can safely rescue animals in distress.” Highways England traffic officer Bernard Glerant, from South Mimms, jumped into action after being contacted by the RSPCA. Bernard helped bring the traffic to a safe halt, so that the emergency services could get to the scene. He added: “Although this type of incident is not very common for us, given the nature of the location and our concerns for both the shepherd and his flock, we were more than willing to lend a hand in an environment we are more than comfortable in.” *Around 60 of the RSPCA officers are trained and equipped to deal with water rescues so ACO Wright and AWO Warne used their specialist equipment to free the sheep safely.

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