walidamammi's Blog

To celebrate the completion of his new swimming pool, businessman Jamie Stewart invited a few friends and family over for a dip.

But the last thing the bemused host expected was to be disturbed by a gatecrasher - in the shape of a half-ton bull.

The massive animal had escaped from a nearby field and was being chased by farm-hands when he crashed into Mr Stewart's garden - and dived headlong into the water.

And since such a large beast could hardly use the step-ladder to climb out, he was forced to tread water for the next three hours until firemen could drain away the water and hoist him back onto dry land.

Last night Mr Stewart described his astonishment at the unexpected visitor who had taken the first swim in his new pool.

The 41-year-old said: "I absolutely couldn't believe my eyes. There was a bull swimming in our new pool.
"I think he had perfected his front crawl by the time he was rescued."

The dramatic pool-party took place on Friday. Work had just been completed on the luxury outdoor heated swimming pool Mr Stewart had ordered for his home.

Workmen had spent the day pumping in ten thousand gallons of water and Mr Stewart's guests started to arrive in the late afternoon for the inaugural swim.

However celebrations took a surprise turn when a two-year-old bull from a neighbouring farm jumped a fence and escaped from his pasture.

The young animal, whose full show-name is Broombrae Tramp, was apparently intent on making closer acquaintance with a herd of cows in another field.

But when his owner, farmer Alexander Jack, gave chase, the bull changed course and instead crashed into Mr Stewart's garden.

The pool was covered at the time so the animal was unable to see the potential hazard, but immediately burst through the canvas and began to splash about in the four-foot deep water.

While neighbours, friends and family crowded round to watch the drama unfold, six firemen from the Fife brigade joined a local vet to help rescue the hapless party animal.

Mr Stewart, a company director, added: "My family and I stood back and let the emergency services do all the work.

"I don't think they were terribly pleased with us - we stood in the garden with glasses of wine and shouted unhelpful suggestions."

Mr Stewart's children Samantha, 12, Lucy, 10, and Finbar, 7, were delighted with their unusual party guest.

He added: "The kids thought it was great. They were a bit disappointed that they didn't get to have the swim they were planning but they ended up with a much better story to tell their friends."

Mr Stewart's partner Gillian runs Acorn nursery from the Kinaldy farmhouse, near St Andrews, but evacuated the children as a precaution.

A three hour rescue attempt saw a vet fire two tranquilliser bullets into the bull - nicknamed Pedro by firemen - before the pool was drained and the rescue crew used a digger to lift him out.

Broombrae Tramp is now recovering from his ordeal in a secure field.

The outdoor heated pool, designed by Alba Pools, will need minor repairs and to be refilled.

A spokeswoman for Fife Fire and Rescue said: "It was a very unusual call out but we sometimes deal with rescuing different animals.

"Our crews are comprehensively trained so they're used to dealing with surprise situations but in this case they did take all their directions from the vet who was called to the scene."

Farmer Mr Jack, from Lahill Craig Farm in Upper Largo, added: "The bull is only two years old and is full of the joys of life. You know what young men are when they get beside a crowd of attractive women.

"Broombrae Tramp was bored being in our field and decided he'd join our neighbour's cows.

"Before we knew what had happened, he had jumped the fence and was headed for Jamie's swimming pool.

"We tried to catch him but our attempts to trap him in the next field went a bit askew.

"He's normally a very placid animal but he just wasn't willing to go home on Friday without a fight.

"Seeing the maiden cows got him a bit heated."

A baby boy playing with his dad’s telephone accidentally called 911, which led police to their house — and a 500-plant marijuana-growing operation.

Police said Tuesday the incident happened at about 11 a.m. Friday in the 14800 block of Goggs Avenue in White Rock.

When White Rock RCMP officers arrived at the rental house, they found the 11-month-old child fiddling with the phone while his 29-year-old dad sat watching television.

“He was surprised to see us,” Const. Janelle Canning said.

The 911 call was a hang-up call and police had heard no voices. The dad, whose name has not been released, protested that he hadn’t called 911 and his son didn’t know how to use the phone.

Nevertheless, police checked the place out because of the amount of condensation on the house’s windows and found the pot-growing operation in a locked room.

The dad was then arrested and was expected to appear in court in early April on charges of mischief and production of a controlled substance. The child, who Canning described as being a “very cute little boy,” was picked up by Ministry of Children and Family Development workers and released into his mom’s custody.

She is separated from his father and didn’t live at the house. “The mother claimed she had no idea what was going on,” Canning said.

“The ministry will continue their investigation to ensure ongoing protection of this child,” she added.

Police are especially concerned when children are living in houses used to grow pot. In this case, Canning noted, the child had no access to the locked room. But condensation, which encourages mould growth and the presence of spores in the air, is a health concern. So is the risk of fire from illegal hydro bypasses, though police didn’t find a bypass in this particular case. There’s also the risk of being targeted for a “grow rip,” or robbery.

“There’s a whole multitude of problems with having a grow-operation,” Canning said. “That’s why the ministry was called immediately.”

Canning recalled a case in south Surrey about two years ago when a newborn baby was taken into protective custody after police found the child in a house containing a pot-growing operation.