'Save my gentle giant'

Princess Jury is desperate for someone to help rescue her pet two-tonne steer who became stuck in thick mud on Christmas Eve. Photo/Stuart Munro

Wanted: Heavy earth-moving equipment to help rescue Princess Jury's "baby" from the mud.

The Aramoho woman's "baby" is B.Day, a tame two-tonne steer who has been stuck in mud next to a creek since Christmas Eve.

Ms Jury has called on neighbours, animal control, the fire service, the SPCA - and even the army - but no one has been able to help her because 5-year-old B.Day is just too heavy.

And now she's getting desperate.

"I don't want to have to put him down just because it's Christmas and everyone is on holiday," she told the Chronicle tearfully.

"What we really need is some heavy earth-moving equipment but all the earth-moving companies are closed for the holidays."

Ms Jury said all seemed normal on the morning of Christmas Eve but in the afternoon she couldn't find B.Day - so named because he was born on Ms Jury's birthday.

She found him stuck down a small gully on her land, uninjured but buried to the top of his legs in thick black mud.

"I don't know how he got there. I'm guessing he probably stood on the edge of the bank to get some tasty tid-bit, and he slipped."

Neighbours and animal control staff had been "amazing", spending a large chunk of their Christmas Day trying to help the animal.

Ms Jury said B.Day wasn't distressed and was still eating and drinking, but time was running out for her "gentle giant", who is a Hereford-Jersey cross.

"He's a very friendly animal - kids love coming to feed him, he's just so lovely and calm."

If you can help B.Day, please contact Ms Jury on 06 3438808.