Houston police and firefighters saved a pony that got trapped in a storm drainage on Tuesday.
Houston police officer Ronald Prince called the Houston Fire Department on Tuesday after he saw the pony trapped in the storm drain while he was inspecting an abandoned vehicle.
“I began to walk around the vehicle to inspect it and I heard a noise behind me,” he said. “It sounded like someone was clearing their throat. And I heard [it] a second time.”
(MORE: ABC station reporter interrupts live stream to save dog from Hurricane Florence flooding)Prince then walked over to an open sewer where the noise came from.
When I realized it was a horse, I was just shocked. I couldn't believe it.
“I peeped inside," he recounted. "When I peeped inside, I first thought it was a dog, and I kind of leaned back because I did not know if the dog was aggressive or not,” Prince told ABC News. “But then I took a closer look I realized that a horse, a miniature horse, was inside the sewer.”
(MORE: Dog rescued after riding out North Carolina floods for nearly a week on living-room couch after Florence)Prince then called Houston police, and the department dispatched experts from a nearby animal shelter to assess the situation.
The experts determined that the rescue would require assistance from the Houston Fire Department's heavy rescue team. Members of the team used concrete cutting chainsaws to free the pony from the drainage.
(MORE: Plane crew comes to rescue of dog with oxygen mask for flight)Prince said the pony that seemed to have been stuck in the drain for some time before he spotted the animal -- which he said was sent to a veterinarian and is now is in good shape in the temporary care of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
“When I realized it was a horse, I was just shocked," Prince said. "I couldn't believe it."