A major rescue operation was sparked yesterday after a cow fell down a steep embankment on the shores of Lough Swilly.
The terrified animal tumbled down the embankment between Inch Island and the Farland Banking.
The Irish Coast Guard immediately rushed to the scene in a bid to assess the situation.
A hoist was set up and a number of members of the Coast Guard abseiled down to the cow.
The members then managed to coax the cow further down the embankment towards the shoreline.
The high tide was moving rapidly in and fears grew that the animal may then be trapped once again.
However, there was a happy ending when the cow simply walked along the shoreline and returned to the local field.
See below to see how all the drama unfolded with thanks to Malcolm Riddell for the great pictures.
