Firefighters, rescue teams save cow from sinkhole in Lincoln County
Published 7:55 pm Saturday, December 8, 2018
- Photo courtesy of Dustin Whited A cow looks up from a 15-to-20 foot sinkhole on a Lincoln County farm Saturday. Firefighters worked for hours to rescue the cow.
- Photo courtesy of Dustin Whited Large Animal Rescue Teams from Lexington and Jessamine County Fire Departments work to free a cow that fell in a sinkhole in Lincoln County Saturday.
- Photo courtesy of Dustin Whited A cow sits stuck inside a sinkhole on a farm in Lincoln County.
- Photo courtesy of Dustin Whited Large Animal Rescue Teams from Lexington and Jessamine County Fire Departments, as well as people on scene with backhoes, work to free a cow that fell in a sinkhole in Lincoln County Saturday.
- Photo courtesy of Dustin Whited Large Animal Rescue Teams from Lexington and Jessamine County Fire Departments work to free a cow that fell in a sinkhole in Lincoln County Saturday.The cow was ultimately rescued and seen walking after the incident.
Firefighters responded to a farm in Lincoln County Saturday afternoon after a farmer reported a cow was stuck in a 20-foot sinkhole.
Lincoln County firefighters were called to the farm on Moore’s Lane at about 12:33 p.m. Saturday and later were joined by Large Animal Rescue Teams from Lexington and Jessamine County Departments.
According to Dustin Whited, a Captain for the Lexington Fire Department, the cow was about 15-to-20 feet down inside a sinkhole.
Whited said both Wayne Greer and Hustonville Mayor David Peyton were on scene with backhoes to help dig the soil back once firefighters realized it was not safe for them to enter.
“It couldn’t have been done without them,” Whited said, referring to Greer and Peyton.
Once the animal rescue teams were able to get down to the cow, they dug around it with shovels and placed a strap around it.
“A backhoe was used to lift the cow out,” Whited said. “It stood up and was walking (and) it appeared to be doing well.”
Whited said the next day or two will be crucial for the cow, due to the amount of time it was stuck in the hole.