Horse trapped in well dies before rescue
Bill Sawchuk, QMI Agency
First posted: Monday, December 29, 2014 03:51 PM EST | Updated: Monday, December 29, 2014 05:55 PM EST
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONT. - A horse that fell into a well Monday morning died before a crane could arrive to rescue it.
Firefighters worked for three hours in the cold and mud trying to save the 1,000-pound horse that was trapped a well at Niagara Riding Stables on Warner Rd.
"We don't know how long the horse was in the well," Niagara-on-the-Lake deputy fire Chief Joe Zambito said. "I'm sure the cold played a part, with the temperature of the water and the temperature outside. The horse seemed strong when we got here.
"The guys are sad. They worked hard and did everything they could for a couple of hours. It's unfortunate."
One firefighter was covered in mud and standing on the wall inside the well during the rescue, stroking the horse's head and talking to the animal.
Later, a vet was lowered into the hole to give the horse a needle to sedate it and cover its head with a blanket.
The first attempt to pull the horse out using a front-end loader failed when the horse slipped out of the harness and dropped back into the well.
"There was about 41/2 to five feet of water in the well, so we pumped out some of it and tried to get the harnesses under the horse," Zambito said. "We had the harnesses around it, but it slipped down and fell back into the water."
Rescuers have then brought in an overhead crane but the horse died before it could be lifted free.
Rescuers attempt to saver a horse that fell into a well in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Horse trapped in well dies before rescue | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun
horse rip
Bill Sawchuk, QMI Agency
First posted: Monday, December 29, 2014 03:51 PM EST | Updated: Monday, December 29, 2014 05:55 PM EST
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONT. - A horse that fell into a well Monday morning died before a crane could arrive to rescue it.
Firefighters worked for three hours in the cold and mud trying to save the 1,000-pound horse that was trapped a well at Niagara Riding Stables on Warner Rd.
"We don't know how long the horse was in the well," Niagara-on-the-Lake deputy fire Chief Joe Zambito said. "I'm sure the cold played a part, with the temperature of the water and the temperature outside. The horse seemed strong when we got here.
"The guys are sad. They worked hard and did everything they could for a couple of hours. It's unfortunate."
One firefighter was covered in mud and standing on the wall inside the well during the rescue, stroking the horse's head and talking to the animal.
Later, a vet was lowered into the hole to give the horse a needle to sedate it and cover its head with a blanket.
The first attempt to pull the horse out using a front-end loader failed when the horse slipped out of the harness and dropped back into the well.
"There was about 41/2 to five feet of water in the well, so we pumped out some of it and tried to get the harnesses under the horse," Zambito said. "We had the harnesses around it, but it slipped down and fell back into the water."
Rescuers have then brought in an overhead crane but the horse died before it could be lifted free.
Rescuers attempt to saver a horse that fell into a well in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Horse trapped in well dies before rescue | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun
horse rip