Japanese cows travel by helicopter

[Heliport]

Mainichi Daily News, Japan Farmer hires helicopter to transport quake-stranded cows

YAMAKOSHI, Niigata -- A farmer has hired a helicopter to transport his cows that were starnded in an isolated village here since the Oct. 23 earthquakes.

http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/image/200411/03/20041103p2a00m0dm004000c.jpg

About 20 cows remained at Takano Farm in Yamakoshi after residents of the hard-hit village were forced to evacuate.
Officials at the farm want to save all the cows, but due to time restraints on Tuesday they could only transport four of them in a special cage to Nagaoka, where they will be fed.

"I cannot discard living cows," said farmer Osamu Takano. "Whatever it costs, I will save them all."

Some 20 cows at Takano Farm are used for traditional bullfighting, which the Japanese government has designated as an important cultural asset.

[Phoenix Rising]

No wonder a decent steak in Tokyo costs over $100 USD :{ :{

:E

[Droopy]

So how do they transport the animal?

Underslung drugged......looks fine on the picture....

Underslung awake.......sudden light feeling on the hook after about half a mile :ugh:

Can't see a cow-sized cage going through an AS332 door.....

In seat 6A? [I can't see company policy allowing it on the jumpseat]

And why does the aircraft remind me of one of those clown's cars which drive into the circus ring only to have the doors and headlamps fall off?

[Phoenix Rising]

Droopy - Paint scheme is Aero Asahi so you are pretty close to having the doors fall off :rolleyes:

My suggestion - slice it up, chuck it in the chilly bins then you could fit a heck of a lot of them in the Puma :ok:

:E

[Rotorbee]

Swiss helicopter operators do that all the time.
They use a special harness to sling them out. Even the REGA (Swiss Air Rescue) does that several times a year.
Sometimes they have to rent stunt cows to show off at air shows.

[Phoenix Rising]

Stunt Cows :confused: :confused: :confused:

:E

[Rotorbee]

Highly trained specialists. Like combat cows.

[Heliport]

From today's Asahi Shimbun
(Extract only - I didn't have time to translate it all.) Cattle hitch a ride out of quake-torn Yamakoshi

NAGAOKA, Niigata Prefecture

The largest farm operator in quake-stricken Yamakoshi village has rustled up some choppers and is heading out its herd of prize bulls and cows.

Takano Farm Co. began airlifting cattle Tuesday from the village to Nagaoka city, where the herd will be kept in holding pens.

"We cannot stand by helplessly and watch them die even if the airlift costs a lot,'' said Osamu Takano, director of Takano Farm.

The mountainous Yamakoshi village was seriously damaged by the Oct. 23 Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake and its aftershocks.
All roads leading to the village have been destroyed, and many roads in the village are submerged by flooding caused by landslides that trapped the flow of the Imogawa river.

Takano Farm plans to airlift more than 700 cattle in two weeks, the first such massive airlift in Japan.

Aero Asahi Corp will airlift the cattle at a price of 5 million yen per day.

"We will also airlift cattle of other dairy farmers if the farmers bring their cattle to areas where the helicopter can land.
In particular, we will put priority on fighting bulls,'' Takano said.


The 10-minute, 10-kilometer airlift takes off from Ikedani district and lands at a ski resort in the southeastern part of Nagaoka.
Tatami mats are placed inside the airlift cage to keep the cattle from slipping. The cattle are sedated before they're caged.

Yamakoshi village chief Tadayoshi Nagashima said: "Bullfights are part of the culture of our village. It is important to rescue the cattle from the village.''

5 million Yen = GB£25,575 and US$47,000 approx.