Irrigation officials rescue cattle from Ridenbaugh Canal

Ditchriders with the Nampa & Meridian Irrigation District found two cows “splashing around” in the Ridenbaugh Canal near Locust Grove Road on Wednesday, according to a NMID press release.

Officials suspect the cattle jumped into the canal after being startled and were unable to escape the deep, fast-moving water.

The owner of the cattle worked with an NMID board member and a ditchrider to lead the cows out of the canal and safely back home.

“It was quite a wrestling match for a while but we finally convinced the cows to ‘exit the pool’ safely. We try hard to warn the public about the dangers of canals but I guess these two hadn’t seen our canal safety advertisements,” joked Greg Curtis, water superintendent for the NMID.

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 8:59 PM with the headline "Irrigation officials rescue cattle from Ridenbaugh Canal."