Cow rescued from well in Castro Valley

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. -- A pregnant cow that was stuck in a well in Castro Valley this morning has been rescued, an Alameda County fire spokeswoman said.

The fire department was notified at 8:47 a.m. that a cow had fallen into a 12-foot well on a residential property at 6421 Sunnyslope Ave., off of East Castro Valley Boulevard near Interstate Highway 580, spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said.

Firefighters, sheriff's deputies and animal control officers responded, drained the water from the well and requested a crane from the county public works department, Knowles said.

When the crane arrived, a sheriff's deputy and a firefighter climbed down into the well, which Knowles said is about 10 feet wide, and attached ropes and a harness to the animal.

As the rescue was under way, one of her calves wandered over and "tried to come close to the well to see what was going on with his mother," Knowles said.

She was finally lifted to safety shortly before 11 a.m. A local veterinarian checked out the cow and determined that she was uninjured.

"She's currently grazing and eating breakfast," Knowles said.

The property owner was at the scene the entire time and was "overjoyed" when the cow was rescued, Knowles said.

A barrier has now been erected around the well.

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