Firefighters rescued a goat from a baaaad predicament after she took a tumble from the top of her favorite napping rock and found herself trapped in between two minivan-sized boulders.
On Friday night, firefighters from Cal Fire San Diego County responded to a call for a goat rescue at a farm in a rural area of Descanso. The task was not simple, given the size and weight of the rocks between which the animal had become tightly pinned.
“The goat was very wedged down in there,” said Cal Fire Engineer Jason Robertson. “We weren’t able to free it by just coaxing it out.”
Fortunately, the team is trained in specialized search and rescue methods, and was able to use pressurized air bags to create more space between the rocks.
“The ones that we were using can lift up to 160,000 pounds,” said Robertson. “So we used that to be able to push the rock just enough to free her a little bit so she could wiggle her way out.”
A leash was attached to the goat’s neck and used to pull her forward while a stick was used to gently push her from behind until she was finally able to pop out. Even though the goat tumbled around six feet, she emerged from the ordeal with only a nick on her elbow, Robertson said.
The children who live on the farm were overjoyed by the rescue and greeted their goat with big hugs.
“We are deeply honored to serve our communities and grateful for the trust placed in us to help when it’s needed most,” said Cal Fire in a statement on Instagram. “When a goat finds itself between a rock and a hard place, our firefighters don’t kid around!”
In addition to resuming its duties providing milk for the family farm, the goat can now go back to performing a second important job — helping prevent wildfires by grazing on flammable brush.
Cal Fire and many other firefighting agencies across the state, including the L.A. County Fire Department, use goats and sheep as part of wildfire management strategies. The herbivores’ insatiable appetite for vegetation and weeds is particularly helpful in steep, hard-to-reach areas where machines are unable to clear brush.
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