A suckler calf that fell into a deep cave has been successfully rescued thanks to members of the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO) and the North West Mountain Rescue Team.
The ICRO was contacted on Tuesday by a farmer in Garrison, Co Fermanagh, to say his animal had fallen into the underground structure. The rescue teams arrived at the site at around 7pm.
Three ICRO members rigged the cave for hauling using ropes and other equipment, before descending a 7m to 8m pitch into the structure.
The calf was successfully corralled and had a sling harness attached, before being brought to the surface. The rescue was completed by 9pm.
Explaining what happened, Stephen McCullagh from the ICRO said the bull calf was about two and a half months old and had fallen down a vertical shaft into a lower cave.
“It was quite a large, roomy area and the calf was able to wonder around. We spent a bit of time trying to catch the calf, but were able to jam the animal against a wall and get a harness on and haul it to the surface. It was a careful operation as the legs are free to kick you,” he said.
According to Stephen, much of the area is limestone rock and there “are a lot of caves around”.
“It was an old hole. Usually, animals get to know where the holes are and will avoid them. The farmer was alerted by the cow roaring for the calf – the cow was close by,” he added.
Help out
The specialist rigging gear used for cave rescue is mainly designed for people, but can be adapted for animals – just a month ago, it was used to rescue a dog off sea cliffs in Mayo.
“We do like to help out farmers and have done a number of rescues of farm animals. As cavers, we do often use farmer’s land – they allow us on, so we like to extend back that support,” said Stephen.
About ICRO
The ICRO has around 60 core team volunteers, with two rescue bases situated in Co Fermanagh and Co Clare.
Members of the team must be experienced cavers who undertake specialist training in rescue techniques.
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