California: Baby horse rescued by firefighters from ravine

CALIFORNIA -- A baby horse is recovering after he was rescued from the bottom of a ravine Sunday morning, officials said.

Animal control officers and firefighters responded to a report of a colt found lying in a ravine about 11:30 a.m. at Morrison Canyon, said Fremont fire engineer and paramedic Osh Ahmad. The baby horse was stranded in a pool of water about 150 feet down a steep embankment.

Firefighters rappelled down to the site and used rescue equipment typically used for humans to save the 80-pound horse, Ahmad said. Officials named the colt Valentine because he was rescued on Valentine's Day.

"In the fire service, you really don't know what calls you're going to get," he said. "Part of our job is to adapt and overcome with certain situations."

During the rescue, Fremont Animal Control Officer Sarah Cattaneo cradled the young horse's head in her arms, according to ABC7 News.

"He was laying in a creek in a pool of water, he was soaking and shaking," Cattaneo told ABC7 News. "He was probably in shock at that point."

Police are investigating how the colt got down the ravine, where he was trapped for two days. He has a broken pelvis near an artery. He will be transported from a veterinary office in Pleasanton to UC Davis for surgery.

 

"Every time he gets up and lays back down, the fracture rubs against a major artery," Cattaneo said, "and if it rubs the wrong way and it ruptures that artery, he could bleed to death."

Valentine's emergency surgery will cost about $10,000. The Tri-City Animal Shelter is accepting donations to cover the cost during business hours.

UPDATE: 
Nearly $16,000 raised for baby horse rescued from Fremont ravine
A baby horse rescued from a ravine on Valentine's Day faces a difficult road to recovery, but finding the funds to help no longer is a concern.

An online fundraising campaign has generated more than $15,000 to care for the foal, which was being treated for a broken pelvis and a broken rib at UC Davis on Tuesday, Fremont officials said.

A GoFundMe page dedicated to Valentine raised $15,233 before it stopped taking donations around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The page had aimed to raise $10,000 for Valentine's care but exceeded that amount with donations from 193 people in less than 24 hours.

 

The outpouring of support took shelter officials by surprise. "We're stunned and speechless," said Sandra Stadler, animal services manager for the shelter. "I mean, there aren't words. How do you say 'thank you' to something like this?"

"It's a feel-good story," Stadler said. "We couldn't be happier."

(Mercury News - Feb 16, 2016)