A cow rescued from the Maas river by fire officers on Saturday lived on a farm around 100 kilometres up river, broadcaster Omroep Brabant said.

The cow was rescued from the river at Escharen, near Nijmegen, but actually comes from Echt, in the middle of Limburg province, where the river has flooded fields over a wide area.

The cow was spotted drifting between the flood debris by a cyclist, who alerted the emergency services. A team from NOS’s children’s news programme Jeugd Journaal also spotted the cow struggling in the current.

Emergency service workers were able to bring the cow to safety and her condition was said by vets to be good, given the circumstances.

Update Sunday: the farmer who owns the cow has since collected her from her rescuers and say she will be allowed to live out the rest of her days in his fields.