Verdigris Firefighters Share Cow Rescue Photo On Facebook

The Verdigris Fire Department is enjoying the social media spotlight, thanks to a photo one of its firefighters took of a rescue Sunday night.

Tuesday, May 19th 2015, 4:51 pm

By: Richard Clark

Verdigris Firefighters Share Cow Rescue Photo On Facebook

The Verdigris Fire Department is enjoying the social media spotlight, thanks to a photo one of its firefighters took of a rescue Sunday night.

"We will now check 'rescued cow out of tree' off of our firefighter to-do list,'" the department posted on its Facebook page.

Chief Mike Shaffer said the incident happened at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2015. An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper driving on the Will Rogers Turnpike near mile marker 248 called dispatch because he saw a cow with its head caught in a broken tree.

As the rescue crew set to work to free the cow, a passerby stopped and told the firefighters the cow had been there all day.

One of the firefighters snapped a photo, which the department shared on its Facebook page. Chief Shaffer said the firefighters first made sure the cow was not hurt, then had some fun filling out their official report on the rescue.

They listed the cow's name as Bessie Thecow, three years old with a Social Security number that matched the one on her ear tag. They listed the form of rescue as "5-man hoist method."

Visit the Verdigris Fire Department's Facebook page.

Chief Shaffer said they used ropes and a pulley to gently lift the cow's head out of the tree. Once free she ran off, "in search of water," according to the report.

"The picture was shot from behind to protect the identity of the cow," the department wrote on Facebook.