A west Cork farmer is counting the cost of losing a dozen calves which fell from a cliff late last week.
The farmer, who does not wish to be named, told the Irish Farmers Journal that he was contacted by a neighbour on Friday afternoon to say that a number of calves appeared to be on the edge of a cliff and outside the field they were grazing at Ardfield, near Clonakilty.
There were 20 Angus- and Hereford-cross calves in the group and when he got to the scene, only four calves remained in the field.
A neighbouring farmer noticed that the calves weren't where they were supposed to be.
Seven more were caught on seaside of a ditch that runs on the coastal boundary of the field. On further investigation, he saw the remaining nine calves dead at the bottom of the cliff.
Unfortunately, a further three calves fell 50 feet to their deaths off the precarious ledge before they could be rescued.
He immediately contacted some neighbours and a local Department of Agriculture official who arrived on the scene to assist.
A calf uses its front legs to reach on to a bank of earth between the edge of the cliff and the ditch to the field.
One of the farmers who helped recover the stranded calves said that a ditch surrounds the field, but it drops down about seven or eight feet to a narrow ledge.
"That was wide enough for a calf to stand lengthways, but there was very little room for them to move behind. There was another ledge about three feet between that and the top of the ditch, so it was hard for them to get back up.
"Fortunately, the calves were quiet and with the help of a bit of ration, we were able to hold them there and one came up.”
The calves fell over 50 feet to their death having been stuck on a narrow cliff ledge.
The other calves were unable to get over the ditch, he said, so it was lowered using a shovel and about two hours later they managed to walk up.
The devastated farmer said: “The fence in the corner of the field was knocked down and the bit behind where the wire was all trampled. It looked like they were there and kept corned in there.”
Dogs
A neighbour living close to the field reported hearing dogs barking throughout Thursday night and the farmer also said that in recent years he has encountered people walking through the land even though it is private property.
“My brother met people trying to walk through here Saturday morning after the event and I met a pair of tourists Sunday morning when I was checking the remaining calves. It’s not a public walk way, but it’s happening more often over the last few years and it's very frustrating.”
Speaking afterwards, the Department of Agriculture official said: "There’s a strong possibility dogs were involved here and members of the public need to ensure they have control of their dogs at all times when visiting areas where there are livestock.”
A west Cork farmer is counting the cost of losing a dozen calves which fell from a cliff late last week.
The farmer, who does not wish to be named, told the Irish Farmers Journal that he was contacted by a neighbour on Friday afternoon to say that a number of calves appeared to be on the edge of a cliff and outside the field they were grazing at Ardfield, near Clonakilty.
There were 20 Angus- and Hereford-cross calves in the group and when he got to the scene, only four calves remained in the field.
A neighbouring farmer noticed that the calves weren't where they were supposed to be.
Seven more were caught on seaside of a ditch that runs on the coastal boundary of the field. On further investigation, he saw the remaining nine calves dead at the bottom of the cliff.
Unfortunately, a further three calves fell 50 feet to their deaths off the precarious ledge before they could be rescued.
He immediately contacted some neighbours and a local Department of Agriculture official who arrived on the scene to assist.
A calf uses its front legs to reach on to a bank of earth between the edge of the cliff and the ditch to the field.
One of the farmers who helped recover the stranded calves said that a ditch surrounds the field, but it drops down about seven or eight feet to a narrow ledge.
"That was wide enough for a calf to stand lengthways, but there was very little room for them to move behind. There was another ledge about three feet between that and the top of the ditch, so it was hard for them to get back up.
"Fortunately, the calves were quiet and with the help of a bit of ration, we were able to hold them there and one came up.”
The calves fell over 50 feet to their death having been stuck on a narrow cliff ledge.
The other calves were unable to get over the ditch, he said, so it was lowered using a shovel and about two hours later they managed to walk up.
The devastated farmer said: “The fence in the corner of the field was knocked down and the bit behind where the wire was all trampled. It looked like they were there and kept corned in there.”
Dogs
A neighbour living close to the field reported hearing dogs barking throughout Thursday night and the farmer also said that in recent years he has encountered people walking through the land even though it is private property.
“My brother met people trying to walk through here Saturday morning after the event and I met a pair of tourists Sunday morning when I was checking the remaining calves. It’s not a public walk way, but it’s happening more often over the last few years and it's very frustrating.”
Speaking afterwards, the Department of Agriculture official said: "There’s a strong possibility dogs were involved here and members of the public need to ensure they have control of their dogs at all times when visiting areas where there are livestock.”
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