Cow dragged to safety on gate after falling down cliff

A cow stuck 40ft down a cliff for 24 hours was rescued by coastguards who strapped the animal to a gate and dragged it to safety using a tractor. The year-old heifer had slipping down a bank in atrocious weather conditions.

Farmer Ian Faragher tried to walk the animal back up the hillside but she had badly bruised herself in the fall at Santon Gorge on the Isle of Man and he could not get her back to safety.

Mr Faragher, of Westhall Farm, said: "I took food down to her and she was eating, but the sea was coming quite close to her and she was distressed. "The coastguard were very good. They decided to sled her up on a gate."



Isle of Man Coastguard spokesman Phil Adams said: "This was one of our more heroic rescues. Because of the weight, we did not want to over-stretch equipment and she was 40ft down. There were tracks down, but because of the weather and the erosion it was giving way."

Using the tractor and gate they managed to inch the distressed heifer up the side of the gorge and in to a field.

Mr Faragher then drove her to shelter using a horse box. He said: "She is still a bit sore and she is bruised quite a bit."