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UF team rescues calf from sinkhole in Newberry

Members of the college’s Animal Technical Rescue Team are shown hoisting the calf out of the sinkhole into which it had fallen. (Photo by Brandi Phillips)

Less than a week after demonstrating its skills before a rapt crowd on April 9 at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine Open House, the college’s Large Animal Technical Rescue Team sprang into action to help save a calf that had fallen into a sinkhole in Newberry.

Responding to a request from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office on the evening of April 13, team leader John Haven brought together the team, which has a long history of working together to save animals. Team members included Josh Fleming, Brandi Phillips, third-year D.V.M. student Jennifer Groover, Dr. Cassie Fleming and off-duty sheriff’s deputies Brandon Jones and Perry Koon, both of whom have training in animal technical rescue.

The 3-day-old calf had fallen 15 feet into a sinkhole that opened up in its owner’s yard, and was believed to have been in the hole for about a day. The top of the hole was only about two feet wide and deemed too dangerous to put a rescuer inside, Haven said.

Working against the approaching darkness and storms, the team assessed the situation and came up with a plan to safely rescue the animal.

“It seemed like an archaeological dig,” Haven said. “The team carefully opened the hole up with shovels, minimizing the amount of dirt that would fall into the hole. Eventually, we were able to create a gentle slope on one side for hoisting the animal up.”

Using a belay rope system and an extended boat pole to encourage the calf to step into the rescue system, the team was able to bring the calf up, whereupon it was examined, found to be okay and shortly thereafter, reunited with its mother.

The rescued calf, after having been reunited with its mother. (Photo by Brandi Phillips)

“While the rescue certainly saved another animal, it is the recognition of the human animal bond, and the drive owners possess to save their own animals that really makes this public service by the college and the ACSO team so important,” Haven said.

Members of the rescue team, with the calf and its mother after being reunited following the successful rescue effort on April 13, 2016. (Photo by Brandi Phillips)

“On several rescues in the past, including this one, owners and neighbors have contemplated and even started to take action to conduct the rescue themselves rather than wait for assistance,” he added. “This ability to bring trained responders together with the equipment to solve complex animal rescues avoids potentially having to rescue or recover a human.”