Fermanagh cattle rescue: Dozens of bulls saved after lorry overturns in Northern Ireland

Animals trapped following road traffic collision

Fire fighters have rescued 39 cattle from an overturned articulated lorry in County Fermanagh. (NIFRS)

Dozens of cattle have been rescued from an overturned lorry in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue (NIFRS) responded to calls of a road traffic collision on Cavan Road, Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh at around 6am on Friday.

Firefighters from Lisnaskea and Enniskillen Fire Stations attended the incident and rescued 39 of the 42 bulls trapped in an overturned articulated cattle lorry.

“Firefighters stabilised the vehicle and used hydraulic cutting equipment to release 39 bulls assisted by farm workers – 3 bulls died in the incident,” a spokesperson for the NIFRS said.

When released, the bulls were contained in a nearby field. Officials said a local Vet was also called to the scene.

The driver of the lorry, a man in his forties, was treated at the scene by paramedics and did not attend hospital.

Images of the incident shared on the NIFRS Twitter page showed the lorry flipped over alongside the distressed cattle.

“This was a particularly hazardous incident for our personnel to resolve, given the unpredictability, size, and large number of the livestock involved, especially when distressed,” the NIFRS added.