It's not every day a bull gets his head stuck in a tree, but when it happens you can count on the SES to come to the rescue.
A curious four-year-old bull named Charlie found himself in that exact predicament over the weekend, with his head firmly stuck in a hollowed tree truck on a property in Avoca, on the NSW Central Coast
Unit Commander Heather Rowe was on hand to assist with the unusual request.
"Charlie got a little bit curious and he popped his head in the bottom of the truck that was hollowed out," she said.
"As he got up, he lifted his head where the hollowed part narrowed and got stuck.
"He got himself caught and couldn't work out how to get out."
It took several crew members to free Charlie from the tree, with Heather and her team choosing a method that wouldn't scare the young bull.
"We decided the best thing to do was to not use any equipment," she said. "We ended up convincing Charlie to lower his head and we got him to pull his head down.
"Then we had to slowly pull his front legs out so he could kneel down and then we dragged him out."
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Heather said Charlie was a bit like a human when they dragged him out, embarrassed.
"He did a quick two-second look around to see if anyone had noticed, and took off like a dog with his tail between his legs," she said.
"He had a very humiliated look on his face.
"It was very cute, we had a bit of a laugh at Charlie's expense."
It's not the first time the SES has been involved in an animal rescue, with Heather and her team often called to help stuck animals.
"I've been called out to a Koala up a gum tree, and to a bird in a tree," she explained.
"The bird in the tree couldn't fly but it flew away and the koala up the gum tree had an injured leg and we had to get the koala down for WIRES so they could treat it.
"We get dogs under houses, we've had a re-offending dog on multiple occasions get stuck in rabbit wiring, we have a dog that chases ducks and lands itself in deep water and can't swim, so we go and rescue him.
"We get a lot of animals, horses, cows, cats up trees. It's always a bit of a laugh.
"They're good feeling stories. We get them out, the animals are okay and the owner is really happy. It's a win-win for everyone."
Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
