Firefighters answer ‘unique call for help’: cow stuck in Tenino creek

CENTRALIA — The crew at South Thurston Fire & EMS started Tuesday morning off with what they called “a unique call for help.”

A cow had become stuck in a creek on a Tenino property.

The cow’s owners and their neighbors had tried to get the cow free on their own after it first got stuck in vine maple the previous day, without success.

“They thought the cow would figure it out, but it got into the creek and the soft ground there and just laid down,” said South Thurston Fire Chief Andrew Schaffran.

When the cow’s owners couldn’t get the cow back on its feet Tuesday morning, they went to South Thurston Fire for help.

The South Thurston crew called volunteer fire captain Tom Berryman of the neighboring West Thurston Regional Fire Authority, who happened to have a ranch nearby and had experience with animal rescues, to help with the rescue.

“He was the one who made it work out,” Schaffran said.

Also aiding in the rescue was Baker’s Towing, which loaned the crew a tractor that they could use to lift the cow.

After about three hours of work, the crew successfully freed the cow and transported it into its warm, dry barn.