A drowning cow has been rescued from the Thames by an “urban mermaid” on a 200-mile swim of the river. Yes really.
Lindsey Cole embarked on the trip on Friday in a wetsuit, a tail and a woolly hat, on a quest to raise awareness to the dangers of single-use plastic.
As she passed through Oxfordshire on Sunday, she spotted the animal, which she initially mistook for a sheet of white plastic. It is thought the cow fell into the water while drinking from it.
Cole, 35, continued swimming while her team – her mum and a support canoeist – called firefighters who were able to hoist the animal to land using a rope.
Cole’s journey will continue for a further three weeks and end in Teddington, south west London, after starting her swim from Lechlade in Gloucestershire.
She will be running assemblies and workshops at local schools along the way.