Incident 40/2016 – Jun 7th Mon. 17.55 – Dike Green, Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire – Animal Rescue

The team were contacted by a farmer who had a lamb trapped in a small culvert, and was unable to extricate it. A small party of team members was dispatched to attempt the recovery.

The lamb was stuck in a 15″ diameter disused culvert, where it had gone to seek some shade, and then got stuck, moving deeper underground, as it was unable to turn around. Attempts to hook the lamb with a crook attached to drain rods, and a telescopic water rescue pole were unsuccessful, and the pipe proved to narrow for even our slimmest member to access! As light faded, the decision was made to suspend the rescue until next day, when a different approach would be tried.

On Wednesday morning, with the assistance of a local, we were able to use a mechanical digger to expose the buried end of the disused culvert. A rope was then passed all the way through the pipe, and a cunningly modified barrel was attached mid-length, to act as a scoop-cum-plug, with which we could move the lamb towards daylight. After several attempts, this method resulted in the lamb being brought to the surface, dirty and weak, but otherwise unharmed by its experience. Volunteer hours: 21. Volunteer braincells exercised – many millions!