Vets help rescue dozens of cattle from overturned lorry

A team of vets from two Shropshire vet practices have been praised for their quick actions to help save dozens of cattle trapped in an overturned lorry.

A double-decker vehicle carrying 40 cows flipped over on a roundabout on the A5 at Gobowen, near Oswestry. Vets from Brownlow Veterinary Group and Park Issa Veterinary Hospital, as well as local farmers and emergency services, joined the rescue effort, helping to save 33 animals under highly challenging conditions.

David Martin, clinical director at Brownlow Veterinary Group, was the vet who received the emergency call and hailed the efforts of everyone involved.

‘Absolute heroes’

Dr Martin said: “Responding to emergencies like this is always stressful, but seeing our training in large animal rescue come to life in collaboration with the emergency services and the local farming community was extraordinary.

“Our deepest thanks go to everyone involved – especially our off-duty Brownlow and Park Issa large animal team, for their remarkable dedication and immediate action. They are all absolute heroes.”

The rescue team used a mobile handling unit borrowed from a nearby farm to move the cattle to safety, with 15 farmers assisting and bringing the tools and extra hands needed to complete the rescue.

Two animals died at the scene and a further five were euthanised.

Training importance

Park Issa Veterinary Hospital vets Vitoria Hipolito and Suzanne Vos played vital roles in the operation, both rushing to help on their day off, with the latter covering emergency calls while others attended the scene. Dr Martin said it also underlined the importance of keeping up on training in large animal rescue.

Miss Hipolito said: “As farm vets, we work shoulder-to-shoulder with the farming community, and this incident demonstrated that unity.

“It was a complex rescue operation, with five fire and rescue engines on the scene, including Shropshire’s only animal tender, specifically equipped for animal emergencies like this one.

“The livestock lorry had up to nine separate pens, each requiring manual release. As we freed the cows in batches, our joint efforts allowed us to systematically assess, treat and safely move them into waiting vehicles.”