Iraqi civil defense rescues cat from sewer in Basra, cow from river in Deykar

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Civil Defense Directorate said its teams carried out two separate animal rescue operations in the southern cities of Basra and Dhaykar. In Dhaykar, a cow that fell into a river was recovered alive after a rapid response by crews, the directorate said. In the Shatt Al-Arab district of Basra, a cat that fell into the sewer system was rescued after civil defense personnel entered the drainage network to retrieve it. The directorate said both operations were documented on video. No injuries were reported in either incident. Civil defense teams said the animals were safely handed back to their owners. The directorate added that its teams remain prepared to respond to different emergency calls.