Scottish farmer posts furious Twitter message after saving calf from choking on 5ft balloon that flew 50 miles from Belfast with note saying ‘whoever gets this, share on social media’
- Robert Fleming found a calf choking on the balloon in the village of Glenluce
- He warned against people who let inflatables loose, saying it isn’t ‘harmless fun’
- Calf is safe and well, he said, because he was in the right place at the right time
A furious farmer who had to yank a 5ft balloon out of the mouth of a choking calf has warned people of the dangers of letting inflatables loose.
Robert Fleming was appalled when he found the silver birthday decoration down the throat of one of his herd in south-west Scotland on Tuesday.
After pulling it out of the animal’s body, he noticed there was a message written on it which said it had come all the way from Belfast.
The sender, called Nathan Smith, had invited whoever found the balloon to let him know via a hashtag.
Mr Fleming shared this pictured of the balloon, warning that sending them into the sky isn’t just harmless fun after he had to pull it out of a choking calf’s mouth
But Mr Fleming, who lives in the village of Glenluce, instead took to Twitter to warn of the potentially dire consequences.
‘You might think it’s harmless fun but I’ve just had to pull a 5ft birthday balloon out of the mouth of a choking calf,’ he wrote.
‘The message written on the balloon ended “whoever gets this, share on social media”. #NathanSmithFromBelfast.’
As concerned followers flocked to see if the calf was okay, he reassured social media users that he’d got there just in time.
The balloon had travelled 50 miles from Belfast to Glenluce before it got trapped in the calf’s throat and the animal began to choke
He said: ‘She is a picture of health. By luck I was in the right place at the right time to insure her safety. I just felt I need to highlight the risks.’
Mr Fleming added: ‘The issue with these innocent stray balloons is the fact they can occasionally land in with innocent curious animals.
‘Much like a toddler a cow uses it’s mouth to explore objects. Sometimes the consequences can be fatal. Even so called “bio-degradable” can kill animals.’
Em Rider commented with a picture she took on World Earth Day in April after she came across a balloon that was stuck on fence blighting the countryside after somebody let it loose.
Em Rider shared this picture as she and others responded to the Scottish farmer’s tweet yesterday
Lesley Clawson thanked the farmer for highlighting the danger of an activity she’d previously undertaken without being aware of the threat it poses.
‘I’m glad you have posted this as unfortunately I’m one of the people who on occasion has made a wish with my birthday balloon and let it off, and I genuinely never thought the harm I could cause,’ she said.
‘From this day I do swear I will never do that again and will encourage others not to either.’