Community crushed after bull they helped to rescue out of a cave died
The community rallied around with ropes, slings, straps, four vehicles with winches, two-way radios, emergency lights, lots of manpower, and even some refreshments.
Community members were heartbroken when a bull they had rescued from a cave in Krugersdorp died shortly after they pulled him out.
Conserv Security, a local security group, reported that they first heard about the bull at about 6pm on Monday night, 23 July.
Their control room received a call from Dr Ryan Jeffery requesting assistance as one of his Jagyu bulls had fallen into a cave north of Krugersdorp.
Photo: Submitted.
The herdsman had noticed earlier that day that the bull was missing.
Soon after, it was located approximately 10 metres down in a cave, which had three vertical entrances and an undulating floor that presented many challenges.
The bull was still alive when they found it and the decision was taken to rescue him despite his challenging weight of 450 kilograms.
The community rallied around with ropes, slings, straps, four vehicles with winches, two-way radios, emergency lights, lots of manpower, and even some refreshments.
Photo: Submitted.
Despite a typical rocky and brittle dolomite road, one hour later the systems were in place, plans were being made, teams and coordinators took position and it was all systems go. Time was of the essence. Coordination was critical, and the teams, under very difficult circumstances, started to lift the bull out of the cave. The bull was brave, but as he got close to the surface, he faded. The rescue sadly turned into a recovery – the bull had died. Each and every person involved expressed their sympathies to Ryan on the loss of such a magnificent animal.
“I would like to thank the greater Conserv community for coming together to help last night with such camaraderie. We lost the bull, but the show of willingness to help was awesome. To Trevor Roberts, owner of Conserv, and his team, thanks for going beyond the call of your duty. I really appreciate your efforts, and believe we live in a great community,” said Ryan.
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