A bull, stranded on an island in the River Maas, has stolen the hearts of people both North and South of the border. Yesterday, as the waters of this major waterway rose, the poor animal got stuck on elevated ground on the Dutch side of the River Maas and there were fears for its safety.
On Boxing Day Free Nature, an organisation that manages areas of natural beauty both in Belgium and the Netherlands, initiated a rescue operation. Naturalists attempted to encourage the bull to leave its island by offering hay, but in vain. Neither Dutch nor Belgian firefighters were able to assist the animal either because it was simply too dangerous.
“From the Belgian side you can see a river flowing in front of the bull” says Janneke Razenberg of Free Nature. “But on the Dutch side you can see the bull wading in water. A little further along there is terra firma”.
Razenberg is not too concerned as the situation looks like sorting itself out of its own accord and bulls are great swimmers.
Fortunately for the unnamed bull, the waters of the River Maas are now falling and a new rescue operation is not necessary.
Razenberg warns the public not to approach the bull in a bid to try and rescue it as that could lead to dangerous situations.