Tow truck frees bull from Calif. well

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FOLSOM, Calif., July 25 (UPI) -- Firefighters said they needed a tow truck to haul a wayward bull out of a well in Northern California Tuesday night.

The 1,500-pound steer had to be sedated and then lifted from the well by a heavy-duty wrecker more commonly used to tow broken-down semi-trucks.

"The whole process worked seamlessly; the bull was removed without injury and given medication to counteract the sedation," the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said in a written statement Wednesday. "The bull slowly woke up and walked away without incident."

The bull was apparently minding its own business when it fell into the well on a farm in the town of Folsom. The hapless animal's head remained above water, but it could not climb out on its own and needed a tow.

A total of 17 firefighters from Folsom and nearby Sacramento took part in the rescue along with the Large Animal Rescue Team from the University of California, Davis.