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Helicopters save horses in dramatic river rescues


  • A horse was rescued in a dramatic style in Switzerland last week after falling into the river Rhone.

    A helicopter was enlisted to help the horse, which had fallen when being ridden alongside the river on Thursday (21 January).

    According to local press the rider reportedly lost balance and was unseated. The horse then tumbled into the river.

    Neither horse nor rider were hurt, however the horse had to be lifted to safety by a helicopter.

    Helicopter used in horse river rescue

    Credit: Police Cantonale du Valais/Facebook

    Local police — the Police Cantonale du Valais — contacted Air Zermatt, the mountain rescue service, to help the horse.

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    Images were posted online by the force, showing the unusual rescue.

    Meanwhile, a pair of horses airlifted to safety in Alaska after falling into a river crossing featured in a television programme last week.

    The pack-horses lost their footing in a remote Alaskan backcountry, eight hours from the nearest road.

    One of the horses, called Lucky, was badly injured by the rocks in the river and his legs were swollen and cut.

    The vet, Dr Dee, told local press that the horse’s legs looked “like someone had taken a sledgehammer to them”.

    The horse couldn’t stand nor walk so the rescue team resorted to calling a helicopter.

    Lucky was treated for his injuries but a few days after his rescue he deteriorated further and had to be put down.

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