A prize bull had to be dug out by firefighters after it fell while roaming a wind farm looking for cows.

The one-tonne animal was found two days after it tumbled 3ft into the storm drain while out on peat land in Skye.

A crofter spotted the £2000 beast's head on the Ben Aketil wind farm, around 11 miles west of Portree, and called emergency services. The rescue effort was attended by 15 firefighters.

Martin Benson, firefighter at Broadford, said: "The bull had been stuck for a considerable amount of time and had lost a lot of weight.

"We cut the peat bank as best we could around the bull, which was about 3ft below ground level and stuck at either side when we arrived.

"Eventually we managed to carve out some room for the bull to wriggle itself free."

He added: "The first thing the animal did was shake itself down and go for something to eat. In such a remote, agricultural area these rescues are sometimes necessary - and it's nice to have a happy outcome."

Crofter Ian Duncan had last seen the animal on Friday, July 1, before it was rescued on Sunday.

He said: "He disappeared on the Friday while searching for cows. It's not uncommon for a bull to go missing in such a large area but this bull had never gone missing for such a time before.

"When we found the animal I was surprised at how far he'd travelled.

"I called the fire service right away and they did a magnificent job of digging him out. He's been eating a lot more - but apart from that he's looking okay."