- WELLINGTON, New Zealand --
A farmer's wife who was swept away by floods in New Zealand yesterday had
her life saved by a cow.
-
- Kim Riley praised the animal - known only as Number 569
- and described it as "an ugly old tart".
-
- The area around Mrs Riley's farm at Woodville, near Palmerston
North, has been lashed by severe storms that have claimed two lives, washed
away wooden houses and forced the evacuation of hundreds of North Island
homes. Insurers put the cost of damage at £40 million.
-
- Mrs Riley was leading in a herd of 350 cows in early
morning darkness when they were caught in a torrent of floodwater.
-
- "It was just amazing how the current picked me up,"
she said. "Before I knew it, I was being pushed along with the cows."
-
- Mrs Riley said several of the panicking animals went
over the top of her, leaving her badly bruised from their kicks. Then she
saw that a group of cows had made its way to an outcrop of dry land.
-
- "I couldn't swim there, the current was too strong,"
she said. "I tried to grab a tree, but missed. I thought if I was
washed into the main river I would be gone. That's when I realised I was
in real trouble.
-
- "I thought most of the cows had abandoned me. They
were strong swimmers and left me in their wake. But I looked back and saw
one of the last cows bearing down on me, number 569. As she went by I threw
my arm over her neck.
-
- "She was strong, and the warmth that was coming
from her was so reassuring. I just laid back and relaxed, and said, 'Take
me home'.
-
- "When we actually hit hard ground, we both sat there
quite exhausted, puffing and shaking.
-
- "I could never have made it on my own. She's an
old cow, an ugly old tart, but I'll have to say 'thank you' to her for
saving my life."
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- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004.
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