Oklahoma Cowboys Trade Horses For Boats To Rescue Cattle From Rising Water

Oklahoma cowboys are trading their horses for horse-powered boats, so they can rescue cattle stranded by floodwaters. 

It's hard to know yet the impact the flooding has had on livestock, although we know there have been a lot of cattle that haven't survived.             

But a post on Facebook spurred an idea and rounded up a couple dozen cowboys, who have spent the past week going all over northeastern Oklahoma saving as many cows from the rising water as possible.

They packed their ropes and instead of their rods and reels.

About 25 Oklahoma cowboys are on the water, and some of them in the water with seven boats and only one mission – to save livestock, one cow at a time.

Related Story: Group Of Oklahoma Cowboys Come Together To Rescue Livestock From Floods 

What looks like a lake here is normally a pasture. It's on the flooded Verdigris River west of Claremore -- where many cows are swimming to survive.

The guys have been working on the water for days, rounding up cattle that don't even belong to them because they can't stand the thought of letting them drown.             

They rope the cows, then either pull them alongside the boat or in some cases they give the bovines a ride in the boat until  they make it to higher ground where they let them go.

The guys have saved at least 30 head of cattle. Some of them, they believe, were miles away from where they belonged.               

The cowboys say they'll continue their rescue mission for as long as they're needed.