RAF Airlifts Feed to Thousands of Animals Stranded In Northern Ireland

Around 10,000 animals are currently stranded in remote parts of Northern Ireland, which was just hit by a huge winter storm according to Raw Story. Counties Antrim and Down were hit by nearly 18-feet of snow and thousands of animals are feared to have died already from starvation.

Due to the dire circumstances, Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill put in a request to the Royal Air Force to airlift a mass amount of feed to the stranded livestock. This is the height of "lambing season," according to Raw Story, thus leading to the high number of animals in danger.

"We put a call into Theresa Villiers, the British Secretary of State, and asked for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) helicopter which could provide the service," O'Neill said, according to Raw Story. "They have agreed to come in and there were talks late into the night last night to make sure everything was ready to go. Anything that helps get food and aid out on the ground then that is what we need to do."

The RAF Chinook helicopter left Odiham in Hampshire Tuesday morning and will refuel near Belfast before continuing to its' final destination to the livestock.

O'Neill said put in a call to the MoD because "there was no helicopter available anywhere on this island that would be capable of taking the feed up and distributing it."

The storm reportedly knocked out power to an unsuspecting 140,000 people last Thursday, but most of the power has been restored by now.

See Photos here.

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