Bulls die after stock trailer rolls

Police and firefighters attend the accident, in which one bull died and another had to be put down. Picture / Greg Bowker

One bull was killed and another put down yesterday after the trailer they were in rolled near Thames.

The accident happened at 10.40am on the Kopu-Hikuai road, which was closed for several hours after the accident.

Police said the driver of the stock truck and trailer was shaken but not injured. Fire Service volunteer support officer Shane Bromley, who attended the accident, said firefighters had to cut the animals free.

"It was a two-tiered trailer with 12 bulls on top and 15 to 18 on the bottom. One bull was dead inside and the other had a broken leg and couldn't be moved so it was put down by animal control."

The survivors were put into a paddock to await transport. "It was quite dangerous work. My biggest concern was that the bulls might charge at the emergency workers who were standing around."