A lost heifer was found stranded in Lough Derg on Wednesday morning by the Lough Derg sub-aqua club.

Simon O’Duffy of the Lough Derg sub-aqua club spoke to the Irish Farmers Journal. He said: “On Wednesday morning we were providing boat cover to Ger Moore, who is swimming the length of the Shannon without a wetsuit to raise money for both Pieta House and Jigsaw.

"We were covering the Portumna to Williamstown section of Ger Moore’s swim when we came across an object in the water.

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“Upon further inspection we realised it was a heifer drifting in the lough. The heifer was distressed, so we made a lasso and coaxed her to the shore near Drominagh, Ballinderry. The rescue mission took about an hour overall.

"Although the heifer took a while to recover, she soon got out and started grazing again like nothing had happened,” he said.

Owner

The Lough Derg sub-aqua team reached out to the IFA and campaigned on social media to find the heifer's owner. The social media post garnered significant attention and the farmer reached out to the team.

The farmer, who lives in Shragh, Co Galway told the team that he had lost three other heifers that morning, in addition to the fourth stranded heifer. He believes something may have spooked the heifers during the night. All four heifers were located on the opposite side of the lake they hailed from.

All heifers are safe and the farmer is delighted to be reunited with his stock.