The marshes of the Strain in theAisne (02) are particularly tricky terrain. HAS Pierreponta nearby village, there are “tremants”, waterlogged peaty areas where the ground can seem stable, before giving way under your feet. A young foal recently paid the price, finding himself stuck up to his stomach in it.
A trapped foal
The young foal led a peaceful life with other horses in a village pasture, until a desire to graze a little further away led him to the edge of the marshes. “ He was with other horses in a pasturespecifies the mayor of Pierrepont, Cedric Mereauin the newspaper The Union. Horses are often used in marshes to maintain pastures. »
© G. Gaudin / CEN-Hauts-de-France
By venturing beyond the fence, the young equine unfortunately sank into waterlogged terrain. “ These are areas that we call tremants, because we cannot walk on them in a stable manner, there is water 20 cm below. A foal weighing more than 100 kilos can only sink into it. », explains again Cedric Mereau.
Stuck up to his stomach, he was unable to find dry land alone. Fortunately, his peers acted as whistleblowers! “ Probably panicked, they came out of their enclosure and were seen by a local resident », says the mayor. He quickly raised the alarm, allowing emergency services and elected officials to mobilize to help the foal.
© Illustrative photo
More than 2 hours of mobilization to save the animal
Faced with this particularly complicated terrain, the firefighters of Liesse-Notre-Dame quickly realized that they would need reinforcements. Colleagues specializing in animal rescue therefore came from Laon, Soissons And Saint-Quentin to try to get the foal out of this bad situation.
A delicate operation which ultimately lasted more than 2 hours, with the help of several local residents, including elected officials. “ One of my deputies used his tractor to pull the foal onto dry land. “, tell Cedric Mereau. A technique which bore fruit since the animal was finally released unharmed.
After this mishap, he was able to return to his enclosure to rest, while awaiting a veterinary examination. The other horses, too, quietly returned to their pasture. In the end, more fear than harm!