A HALF-TON runaway bull was at the centre of a dramatic hour-long rescue after he found himself stuck in a Wimslow peat bog.
The young Limousin, named Archie, got trapped in the mud hole at Rossmere Lake in dense woodland on Newgate, and had to be dug out by fire and rescue teams.
Owner Dianne Leach, 43, who rears calves for market on the Morley Green farm owned by her fiance's parents, said: "I was so grateful to the fire crews and the person who spotted Archie.
“The peat bog is pretty scary and takes you in very quickly, so I dread to think what would have happened if he hadn't been discovered. I count the cattle every day and they were all there the day before, but this happened the next morning, so he could have been there up to 24 hours, we just don't know.”
A walker at the lake called the fire crews after she discovered the bogged-down bull in distress at just after 9am, on Tuesday, September 1.
Crews from Red Watch at Wilmslow Fire Station spent more than an hour digging the young beast out of the mud and used a sling and hand tools to lift it to safety.
RSPCA officers and the Humane Education Society were also called to give medical assistance to the 18-month-old bull, before he was reunited with his grateful owner from Heald House Farm in Morley Green.
Diane, who has named all her animals, added: “It seems Archie has nine lives as he was due to go to market earlier this year but he collapsed as he was getting into the truck because he is weak on his back legs, and I didn't want to let him go like that.
“Now this has happened to him, but he has come out unscathed.”
It is thought the unfortunate steer bolted from the field and into the boggy woodland after being scared by a dog wandering off its lead - something Dianne says she has a real beef about.
“The bulls are fantastic with people but not used to dogs and get particularly frightened if they see a dog running around near them in the field. It's increasingly becoming a problem for us,” said Dianne, who gave up her job as a PA last June to raise cattle for market with fiance Nick.
Watch Manager Phil Marke said:“It was a good team effort in some tricky surroundings and the crew worked tirelessly for more than an hour in the bog to release the distressed animal.”
