There were four specific obstacles that a family, a fire crew and a towing company had to overcome when rescuing a cow stuck in deep mud in Ridgefield Thursday, according Clark-Cowlitz Fire and Rescue.
• Blackberry bushes: The owners of the cow discovered that it had slid down an embankment into mud. They had to cut blackberry bush vines to get to the struggling cow.
• Mud: The owners tried to dig the cow out, but any effort to remove the mud made the cow sink deeper. After hours of trying, they called Clark County Fire and Rescue.
• Weight and shape: The cow weighed so much that the fire department needed help, too. They called TLC Towing in Ridgefield. TLC Towing showed up with a machine called a rotator wrecker used for towing large vehicles. The wrecker has a crane that can lift a cow. The crane had two lifting straps that the firefighters fitted under the cow.
