Members of the Luverne Fire Department rescued a cow from a frozen pond Friday with equipment borrowed from Cleveringa Construction.
According to Luverne Fire Chief David Van Batavia, the call came in at 10:50 a.m. of a cow struggling to get out of a hole in the ice.
The 1,200-pound cow, belonging to Don Renken, was in the pond south of the Arne and Gloria Vink home near the interstate, and a passerby called 911.
According to Renken, his cows pasture in that area and drink water from a hole he chops in the ice.
“I guess she must have wandered out on the ice and broke through,” he said. “My boy and I were trying to think of a way to get her out with a rope.”
By this time, however, the fire department had contacted Adam Uithoven with Cleveringa Construction about borrowing a telehandler.
“Adam drove it out there and telehandled the forks out over the ice,” Van Batavia said. “Just the cow’s head was out of the water. She was pretty tired and cold.”
He said Uithoven lowered the forks down to the water and two firefighters in diving gear helped tie her to the equipment.”
“He picked her up on the forks and we were able to gently put her down,” Van Batavia said. “She was able to stand and move around.”
Renken said on Tuesday that the cow was able to walk to the shed and find warmth from the other cattle gathered inside.
“She’s doing good,” he said. “I’m just glad everything turned out OK. And thanks to the fire department. They all worked together pretty good.”
Van Batavia remarked that his crew is becoming skilled at animal rescues.
The department rescued a dog that fell in a Blue Mounds State Park crevice this past summer, and a few years ago, firefighters rescued a deer that fell through the ice in the Rock River near the city park.
“When the phone rings and it’s the Sheriff’s Office, you never know what it’s going to be,” he said.