Hillsborough Sheriff's Deputies today rescued a bull that was in danger of drowning in a retention pond.
Here's the release from the sheriff's department:
Today at approximately 8:45 am, HCSO was contacted by a man mowing the grass along the county right-a-way about a cow he spotted struggling in a small retention pond. The cow was later determined to be a 20 year old bull that weighed approximately 1000 lbs. Deputy Christina Ammons (a 19 year HCSO veteran) assigned to Patrol District 4 arrived at 6031 Madison Ave in Riverview and found the bull in the water about 6 feet from the shore line. She could see that the bull was struggling to keep his head above water and very close to drowning. Deputy Ammons stripped her gun belt and uniform shirt off and immediately got into the pond and waded out and lifted the bull's head out of the water to prevent it from drowning. Another deputy stood by at the edge of the pond with a rifle to safeguard Deputy Ammons from any potential alligators that may have been in the water. Deputy Ammons remained in the water supporting the bull's head for approximately 45 minutes while Hillsborough County Fire Rescue sent a crew out with equipment to pull the bull out. With the combined efforts of everyone involved, the bull was successfully removed from the pond and after approximately 30 minutes, the bull was up and walking and determined he was not injured.
See below for attached link to a YouTube video of the rescue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUPCLVBuz_Y
