Cattle swim to escape 'big cat'

A group of cattle, which swam a mile across a treacherous river to escape what appeared to be a big cat on the loose, were today at the centre of a massive rescue operation.

Animal welfare officers armed with dartguns and an RAF rescue helicopter were called in to airlift the Charolais cattle, dubbed the stranded six, to safety from a tiny island where they have survived since Saturday without fresh pasture and little water.

Farmer Robert Patchett said the year-old heifers, which may charge if approached by strangers, must have swum from Faxfleet Grange farm in Goole, North Humberside, after trying to escape a big cat locals believe is on the loose. Mr Patchett, who farms 1,000 acres, said: "If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed it. They just swam out into the river and it was sheer good fortune there was an island. The estuary is one mile wide here and very dangerous. There is a danger the river could flood and wash the cows off, so we want to get them off as soon as possible."

He said: "They must have been forced into making a bid for freedom. They had knocked down the fence and obviously made a run for it. There have been many sightings of a black cat or the panther, as it is known round here. We can only suspect the panther got into the field and frightened the cows. Of course it is possible it could just have been a stray dog."

A hunting party of RSPCA officers were ferried to the island today to begin stalking the cattle, while RAF rescue crew with special large nets were also on standby.

RSPCA spokeswoman Heather Holmes said: "They're making their way towards the cattle. There was one point where the cattle were very close to the Hull side of the mainland and we could see very clearly the pack of six of them together. But they've moved inland now. The island is effectively a very large sandbank. There's no fresh water supply or proper grazing and that's the concern. Although they can live there in the short term, in the long-term there are going to be problems with their health."

Flight Lieutenant Jonathan Stanley, of 202 Squadron, based at RAF Leconfield, said a Sea King search and rescue helicopter is on standby ready to lift the cattle back to their field with special equipment designed to carry heavy loads.

"We have got some of our air crew down there to prepare the undersling nets," he said. "Once the cows are tranquillised the RSPCA is going to call us."

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