Fishermen, police, game warden rescue stranded calf from lake

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A pair of Texas fishermen teamed with police and a game warden to rescue a calf that managed to strand itself in the water.

The Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constables said fishermen Ben Breckenridge and Zach Smith were fishing in Lake Conroe on Saturday morning when they discovered a calf wandering around in the water.

The men determined the calf was unable to get out of the water due to a bulkhead blocking its exit, and they quickly determined the young cow was too large to lift over the barrier.

Breckenridge and Smith jumped into the water with the calf and kept it from wandering into deeper areas while they contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Montgomery County dispatch.

Texas Game Warden Brannon Meinkowsky and Constable Lake Unit Lt. Cade soon arrived at the scene and helped the fishermen identify an area without a bulkhead where the calf could be guided to shore.

Breckenridge and Smith tied two ropes around the calf and used them to keep the young animal afloat next to their boat as they transported it to the area indicated by the responders.

The men were able to untie the rope once they reached shallow water and the calf exited the water on her own.