Danville veterinary workers save calf,while kayaking.

A kayaking excursion on the Dan River turned into an animal rescue mission for five local veterinary workers Wednesday afternoon near Milton, North Carolina. The five women — employees at Animal Medical Center of Danville — saved a calf from sliding down an embankment into the river. “We were out there kayaking and having a good time and me and one of my friends … heard the mother crying,” said Desiree Robertson, a veterinary technician. “We glanced back and saw the calf stuck in the mud.” Jenny Gauldin, an assistant groomer at the center, said the calf was down a 20-foot drop. The group had started their kayaking trip at Anglers Park before encountering the calf near Milton at the Virginia/North Carolina border. Robertson — along with Gauldin, Megan Barnes and Lauren Spivey — climbed the mudslide, tied a rope around calf’s chest and hoisted him up the bank, Robertson said. Three of them pulled the calf up the bank while Gauldin pushed him from beneath, Gauldin said. “We just went over there and took action,” Robertson said.They delivered the animal back to his mother at the top of the embankment.“We made sure he had suckled and then we left,” Gauldin said, adding that the rescue took about 10-20 minutes. Gauldin said they all were sunburned by the time the rescue was over. One of the calf’s owners, Josh Burnett, said he was “very grateful” the women — who also included veterinary technician Tonya Wyatt — saved the animal. Burnett has known Barnes for 15 years and takes his three dogs to Animal Medical Center. Barnes called Burnett after the rescue and told him what happened, he said. More