Firefighters in Kiryat Ata, near Haifa, were called to Yitzhak Rabin Road on Sunday after a report of an animal in distress, only to find a cow stuck in the mud up to its neck after several days of heavy rain across the country, the Fire and Rescue Authority said.
Emergency responders quickly determined that the cow had been trapped for some time and realized the situation was more than they could handle alone. They called the municipality, which sent a veterinarian to the scene. A short time later, the cow was pulled out of the mud unharmed, using heavy machinery fitted with specialized straps.
Soldiers from the IDF’s Golani Brigade were training on the range when the cattle appeared, likely using live fire.
Authorities seized and quarantined about 80 cows in the Moshav Dor area, along Israel’s northern Mediterranean coast, north of Caesarea. The operation required a period of intelligence gathering and the cooperation of the Border Police, the Israel Air Force, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
Police suspected that the cattle belonged to residents of Muawiya and Ein Ibrahim, two villages next to Umm el-Fahm, near the Golani Brigade training base where the cattle were found.
At the time, the cattle were expected to remain in quarantine until their owners, who were under investigation by the Border Police, paid fines for letting their livestock stray onto an IDF firing range.