I bet you haven't "herd" this one before.
Videos by Wide Open Country
In Bedford County, Virginia, a cow had to be rescued by emergency response teams after getting stuck in a muddy pond.
During a morning check, a farmer in the Stewartsville/Goodview area noticed that one of his cows was missing. After finding her wedged about 6 to 8 feet deep in a sinkhole, his first instinct was to call The Bedford County Special Operations Command Task Force (SOC). Large Animal Rescue (LAR) was also recruited.
According to a
post from the Stewartsville-Chamblissburg Volunteer Fire Department, the poor cow was "severely stuck" in the mud."At 10:41 a.m. today, Company 13 (2nd due) for Rescue 13 were dispatched as part of the SOC task force for a large animal rescue in the 3400 block of Diamond Hill Road," it reads. "A cow had become severely stuck on a pond bank, and the owner was unable to free the animal."
Many of the LAR team members have specialized training for incidents of this kind. However, this case proved particularly difficult. The animal was essentially suctioned to the mud surrounding one of her legs, according to WFXR.
After placing straps under the cow's torso area, the team made a haul line to pull her out. Once she was returned to land, team members removed the equipment and covered her in a blanket to warm her up.
Hours later, she was able to stand and walk on her own, officials reported.
The Bear Incident That Kicked off 2026
As it turns out, cows aren't the only animals requiring assistance in 2026.
Just this week, a California man named Ken Johnson discovered that a 550-pound bear was denning under his house. After the furry friend started messing up the gas lines near the home, Ken knew it was time to seek professional help.
So, he called the BEAR League, a nonprofit organization that specializes in cases like this one.
Ann Bryant, the BEAR League's executive director, revealed the special technique that they used to drive the bear out. Apparently, using paintballs filled with vegetable oil did the trick. After about 20 minutes, the bear emerged from Johnson's crawl space.
Johnson compared the bear's exit to guests leaving a dinner party, although I'm sure the feeling doesn't even come close. "There's the relief—" he admitted. "It feels like, you know, you had a bunch of dinner guests over, and now the party's over."
Well, I'm sure the party's over for the bear, at least. But hey, maybe now he can actually start the new year off on the right foot, or I mean, paw.
