LONDON (Reuters) - A cow had to be rescued by fire services in northern England after it tumbled down a 30 meter river embankment and got stuck in a tree.

Fire crews in Cumbria were surprised to receive a call to rescue the cow, which had toppled 10 meters down a slope of the river Leith before a tree broke its fall.

The bruised bovine was discovered after its farmer noticed one of his cows was missing.

The animal was sedated by a vet before being winched out of the tree by firemen using specialist equipment.

"(Fire crews) had to wear body armor in case a stray hoof lashed out at them," said a spokesman for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service.

"The vet checked the cow over and it seemed reasonably happy and relatively unscathed," he said.