A CLUMSY calf caused concern on the commons last weekend when walkers mistook its giddy gait for a broken leg.
Hayward Mark Dawkins received several reports of the ungainly animal at the bottom of an old quarry pit near Winstone's ice cream factory.
Events took a farcical turn when fire-fighters were called out to rescue the calf and two engines turned up.
"Fire-fighters were running round the common like ants trying to find this calf with a broken leg when there was nothing wrong with the animal at all," said Mr Dawkins.
"It was just newly born and unsteady on its feet. "It just wanted to lie down, sleep and eat like any other baby."
Eventually the calf's owner took the little beast and its mother off the common and back to the farm just to stop the flurry of calls.
In another case of misplaced concern members of the public contacted the graziers at the beginning of last week to report a second calf with a broken leg, this time near the Old Lodge pub on Minchinhampton Common.
The animal was seen limping around the common with a swollen leg. "We've been on top of the situation," said Mr Dawkins last Wednesday.
"It's got was the graziers call 'low' or what the vet would refer to as foul of foot. "It's a very common complaint with cattle and they walk around on three legs for a few days then they are fine.
"The animal was given an injection of antibiotics then released back onto the common." Although false alarms from the well-meaning public can be frustrating at times, said Mr Dawkins, the graziers rely on the extra eyes and ears afforded by dog walkers and others who enjoy the common to spot problems that might otherwise be missed.
Any cow-related concerns should be reported to Stroud police on 0845 0901234 and will be passed on to Mr Dawkins.
The RSPCA should not be the first port of call as its officers cannot act without authorisation from the police.
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