The Calf Rescue
Early one morning we were called to a rescue in a village just outside Pushkar – the complaint was that a calf had fallen down a well. Our rescue vehicle, on another rescue at the time, dropped off that complaint at the hospital before rushing off with all manner of ropes and equipment thought to be necessary for the rescue.
It wasn’t the first time that we had been called to such a rescue – in rural Rajasthan, wells are common place and with no walls or warning around them, stray animals quite frequently fall down them.
After about 3 hours the rescue vehicle returned empty and with 3 very exhausted looking staff, with dejected looks on their faces telling ‘not possible madam, not possible madam’. Haunted by the fact that there was still a calf stuck down in a well that could be seriously injured and obviously couldn’t be left there, myself and a couple of new energetic and strong compounders went back to the scene. What we were faced with was not really a calf as such but a 200kg bullock that was 80 -100ft down below us in a well that was covered except for a small door way at the front.
How the calf had fallen down in the first place was a real mystery but its saving grace was that it was a dry well, so it wasn’t lying in water and suffering from hypothermia. After assessing the situation, it was clear that what we needed was a crane and lots more man power!! We got our trustees working on trying to find a crane, while I rang around trying to get together a group of strapping guys that could give us a hand. The situation was made even more complicated by the fact that it was Pushkar fair and all the roads were blockaded by police that mean’t that we had to ask for special permission from the authorities even to get into the area…and it was chaos with people and camels everywhere.
Frantic telephoning around to find a crane was proving unsuccessful – nobody wanted to drive into Pushkar during the fair. I had arranged to meet the people coming to help us, Kamlesh one of our Indian trustees and his friends, at a point that we all knew, just on the outskirts of town. But they were not the only thing we found. As if by divine intervention what should be standing there on the opposite side of the road, but a crane on government service….perfect!! The driver had parked up to enjoy a cup of chai! After some intense negotiations and permission from the District Magistrate we were able to release the crane from its government service and take it to the well. The driver looked rather bemused, I think it was a very different job that he was being asked to do from his normal work.
While the crane was getting itself into position, Parveen, Annu and myself climbed down the series of hanging ladders (which was no easy feat) down to the bottom of the well. From the bottom you could really see what an incredibly difficult job we had ahead of us to get the calf out. Examining the calf revealed only minor injuries……some swelling and bruising to the hindquarters. Absolute incredible considering how far he had fallen.
Rescuing a calf from an 80ft well
The only way that we were going to be able to get him up was if we sedated him as we had to try and keep him as still as possible, not thrashing around. So thats what we did and after he became quiet we tied him up with all manner of ropes and supports, so that he could be attached to the hook that was on a long chain at the end of the crane. There was nothing for it now but to start. As the crane revved its engine, the chain began to take up the slack. 1 feet off the ground, 2 feet off the ground, 3 feet….my heart really began to start thumping in my chest as all manner of possibilities started to run through my head, what happens if the rope comes unattached from the hook, what happens if the rope snaps, what happens if the sedation wears off half way up and he starts thrashing around. I started to feel a little bit sick.
When he got to 5 feet, it was clear that he did need a bit more sedation. You have to be so careful with cows as they don’t tolerate sedation / anaesthetics that well but it was our only option. Again, the lifting started. Parveen, Annu and myself, stood absolutely motionless as we watched the calf disappear above our heads and out of reach. I knew that each of us was saying our own little silent prayer that it would all be fine and the calf wouldn’t come crashing down on top of us. The worst part was when we got to about 40ft, about ½ way as there was no coming up or down, we just had to push on through.
Precariously hoisting the calf up the well
By this time, we could hear a lot of commotion up above and it sounded like half of the village had gathered at the top of the well. It seemed like an absolute age that it took to reach the top and when it did, we found that the crane was having really difficulty manouevering the calf to near the doorway due to the fact that about 6 feet down there was a wooden platform in the way. All the guys that we had brought with us and ourselves rushed up the ladder and with a lot of having and pushing we finally managed to get the calf through the small doorway.
The sigh of relief of all involved was audible. With the amount of adrenaline flying around, it felt like we had all run a marathon!! We untied all the ropes and settled the calf in a quiet spot. After about 20 minutes he started to come round and looked a bit confused as to what had just gone on. When he was ready we transported him back to the hospital for daily treatment for the pain he had in his back legs. We still couldn’t believe that he had sustained so few injuries from falling such a long way!!
Luckily the calf recovered and was released soon after, non the worse for wear.