Cow trapped in Navan canal brought to safety by rescue team

A cow trapped in a Navan canal had a lucky escape on Monday after a local river rescue service freed the animal from danger.

Meath River Rescue came to its aid after passersby spotted the distressed animal in a canal at the Ramparts and rang the service’s emergency line.

Team members attended the scene and with equipment were able to safely pull the animal out of the canal.

"We have been taking animals out of canals for a long time and that was the worst case I’ve ever seen,” said Meath River Rescue’s Jamie Rennicks.

"It took us around two hours to take it out,” he added.

"Usually when they go in the canal they don’t get out, it’s like quick sand. If it was the river they’d have a chance, they’d swim themselves and get out.”

Jamie said after speaking with a local farmer who owned the cow, they came up with a plan to bring it to safety.

"I rang one of the farmers I knew and asked was it theirs and they said no so basically they sent me on the number of the farmer who owned it.

"The farmer didn’t want to waste our services and said he’d try to rescue the cow himself but he called us back said they couldn’t manage it by themselves so we went to help them.

“The cow was taken out of the canal and returned to the farm safely."