Animal

Four-hour rescue mission launched to save lamb which fell down a drain


The lamb didn’t look too sheepish after its ordeal… Pictured with RSPCA animal collection officer Emily Welch after being rescued (Picture: North News)

Rescuers spent four hours digging a lamb out of drainpipe after it got stuck and couldn’t get out.

The RSPCA was called by the fire brigade to Durham last Sunday to rescue the lamb, after a farmer realised it was stuck.

Animal collection officer Emily Welch travelled to a field off Thornley Road to help the lamb.

She said: ‘There was a broken manhole cover on the farmland which had been filled with tyres and wood.

‘Somehow, the lamb had managed to get himself between this and has fallen down the manhole shaft and into the narrow drainage pipe 2ft below.

‘The farmer noticed the lamb’s mum stood at the top of the hole looking lost and he couldn’t spot her baby. When he went to investigate he heard the little lamb bleating from down the drain and contacted County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.

‘There was no way of reaching the little lamb in the pipe as it was too narrow so we had to dig down to him.

‘Thankfully the farmer’s friend brought his digger and we started digging. We ended up having to dig four separate holes to different sections of the pipe before we could locate him 15m into the pipe and free him.

It took four hours to rescue the little lamb from the drain (Picture: North News)
The RSPCA carried out a baa-rilliant rescue mission to get the lamb out of this hole it fell down (Picture: North News)

‘He was very cold, a little shaken and quite stiff after his ordeal but, thankfully, he wasn’t injured so we cleaned him up and returned him to his mum who had been waiting nearby and keeping a very close eye on us!

‘It was lovely to see him bounding off towards his mum and snuggling up to her for some milk. What a rescue mission.’

The RSPCA is fundraising to help continue delivering its emergency animal services through the coronavirus crisis.

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