Horse Rescued From Waist-Deep Floodwaters in NC
— -- Dramatic video shows a horse being rescued from waist-deep waters in North Carolina following torrential rain and flooding brought on by Hurricane Matthew.
Bob the horse, who animal control officials believe to be about 6 years old, was stuck in floodwaters at least 4 feet deep for hours before rescuers were able to tend to him on Sunday afternoon, said Sgt. Sean Swaine, public information officer for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.
Rescuers were equipped with a Zodiac, an inflatable rescue boat, but they weren't sure what method would be best to rescue the horse until a captain with the sheriff's office suggested that they all "put on a vest and walk out there and see what happens," Swaine told ABC News.
The men then hooked up their life vests to each other using rope to avoid getting washed away in the current before venturing into the water.
In the video, the men are seen wading in the water before they fasten the horse onto their life vests. Bob was fine as he exited the pen, but then became hesitant and less cooperative once he felt the strong current in the open water, Swaine said. The rescuers needed to lead him through deeper waters before they reached higher ground.
The floodwaters were so deep that cars from the sheriff's office training center were almost completely submerged, Swaine said.
Bob, whose previous owner could no longer keep him, is a little underweight but "doing pretty darn good," considering the ordeal he went through, said Jennifer Hutchinson-Tracy, the shelter manager of Cumberland County Animal Control.
Bob is currently up for adoption for a nominal fee of $125. Both the sheriff's office and the animal shelter have received dozens of calls from people interesting in taking him home.
Rescue teams have been steadily assisting people affected by floods in low-lying areas since the hurricane struck over the weekend, the sheriff's office said on Facebook.
