Saturday, September 15, 2007

Firefighters rescue donkey trapped in well

Firefighters in the western Minnesota town of Underwood weren't quite sure what to expect when they got the call: A donkey had fallen down an abandoned well and was trapped.

An unusual rescue operation followed.
Firefighters quickly realized that the donkey, which belonged to a farmer named Warren Gundberg, couldn't just be pulled from the well. So they started pulling away earth with a Bobcat tractor and dismantling the well block by block.Once the west wall of the well was dismantled, firefighters put a harness around the donkey and guided it out with a rope.

Underwood Fire Chief Bruce Huseth says he's rescued cows who've fallen through the ice, but never a trapped donkey. The donkey had some bruises but is otherwise fine.

There's a news video here.

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