Cow found adrift in sea saved in Turkey’s west

İZMİR

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A cow spotted adrift in the sea by surprised onlookers in the Aegean province of İzmir has been recovered by rescue teams, who saved it from drowning in the Gulf of İzmir.

“This is the first time we saved an Angus cow in the Gulf of İzmir. It’s a miracle for the animal to stay in the sea for so long without drowning,” rescuers Mesut Aytekin and Özay Kökten, who have been on the rescue team for 17 years, told Doğan News Agency, adding they had previously saved dogs, cats and people from the gulf. 

“We learned that a ship registered to Singapore arrived to the port of İzmir with the animals. Two cows escaped from the ship and the teams caught them. We think that the cow fell into the sea from the ship before it arrived in the port. We are very tired and the Angus is also very tired. However, we are happy that our efforts resulted well,” they added.

The people who first spotted the animal called the rescue teams, who arrived at the scene by boat but were unable to find the cow. The teams then located the animal after receiving information from personnel on a military tanker ship. 

The teams threw a life buoy at the exhausted cow and hitched a rope around the animal in order to allow it to rest for half an hour and save it from drowning. 

The cow was then pulled ashore but managed to escape before being caught again. 

It was sent to the İzmir Customs Directorate in order for it to be returned to its owner.