Fisherman caught cow after it jumped into harbor

A fisherman from Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory caught more than he was probably expecting after assisting with the rescue of a brahman cow that had jumped from a nearby wharf. Jonathan Brandenburg and his wife helped two stockmen catch the animal, which had jumped into Darwin Harbour while being readied for loading onto a live export ship last Saturday.

"My wife and I started flicking for some queenies [queenfish] and this guy starting yelling at us from the wharf and he asked us if we would help him out," he said. "So two of them jump in the tinny and one gets his rope out, wrangles it around the animal's neck and pulls it against the boat. The boat's going all over the place and me and my wife were freaking out, but it was all good. We just cruised two kilometers back to the East Arm boat ramp. It took about an hour to an hour and a half."
Tony Eggington, interim executive officer of the Northern Territory Livestock Exporters Association, thanked Mr Brandenburg and his wife for their efforts. "We owe them a vote of thanks because they came to our assistance quickly and readily to help the animal," he said. Mr Eggington said cattle rarely escaped. "The live exporters have around 450,000 cattle exported from the Port of Darwin each year and we do get two or three animals escape from those loadings and shipments," he said.

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He said there were always animal welfare officers present to monitor loading. "Livestock exporters have an escaped animal management plan at East Arm Wharf approved by Department of Agriculture and the Darwin Port Authority," Mr Eggington said. "We were able to tie this animal down, restrain its head and take its weight around its girth and then swim it to shore, where it was hoisted up into a truck and taken back to the yards. The animal was a bit stressed from having an evening swim, but has been looked after and has undergone a full recovery."