Specialist emergency rescue teams have been deployed across Wales to save stranded livestock following the devastation caused by Storm Dennis.
Rescue officers from the RSPCA have attended several incidents over the course of the weekend.
In one incident, they were called to Newcastle Emlyn where more than 40 sheep were trapped in flood water.
Luckily, the water was receding and it wasn’t raining. The incident concluded in the farmer rescuing the sheep at Newcastle Emlyn safely with a 4×4 tractor.
The charity's rescue team was also called to a report of 25 sheep drowning in a field in Llandeilo. Only one sheep was rescued alive.
Meanwhile, other rescue officers attended an incident in Llandeilo where horses were stranded.
After speaking to the owner, the horses were left in situ as they were deemed to be at a safe place away from the water, while the rescue team were deployed to other emergency situations.
RSPCA deputy chief inspector Phil Lewis, who is the water rescue coordinator in Wales, said: “Storm Dennis has caused great devastation and our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.
“We have received numerous calls across Wales. We have seen prolonged rainfall coming in on top of areas that are already saturated.
“As a result over the weekend, we’ve been so busy that – as I’m sure people will understand – we have had to prioritise emergency calls.”
In another incident, rescuers were called to help a sheep who found herself stranded on a bank by a raging river engorged by floodwater in Storm Ciara.
RSPCA inspector Fred Armstrong and chief inspector Leanne Hardy were called to Park Road, Gwersyllt, Wrexham, on Monday 10 February.
Mr Armstrong said: “The water was extremely strong and the sheep was a long way away so we had to work as a team with one officer wading through the water extremely cautiously while the other held a guide rope.”
The duo were able to capture the frightened sheep and take her back across the river to the mainland where they carried her to a local’s stable to dry off.
“We managed to check her over and luckily she was no worse for wear – if a little damp,” he added.
“We located her owner and they came to collect her later in the day to return her to her field.”
