A horsealmost entombed herself in mud after falling into a landslide-made hole.

The mareis thought to have tried to wiggle anddrag her way out but became increasingly trapped in the pit seven feet deep. Passers-by spotted her and had a go at digging her out, but they were not able to make much progress as she was almost completely buried.

Firefighters were called and arrived to find the animal with its legs and body embedded. As a viral video of the rescue now seen 86 million times shows, the fire crew began by scooping the mud from around the mare with their bare hands.

Firefighters were called to help (

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Rescue crews had to scoop mud away with their bare hands (

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Once she had enough room to breathe more comfortably, they used hand-held digging tools to clear more soil. Eventually there was room to get ropes around the stricken animal, and a mechanical digger lifted her clear of the hole.

Despite her ordeal, the mare was able to stagger to her feet a few seconds later. Covered in mud, she seems fairly calm as rescuers rush to free her from the ropes.

It was reported the horse was taken to an equine vet and was found to be uninjured. One witness said of the rescue in the city of La Grita, in the north-western Venezuelan state of Tachira: “Poor baby.”

Millions of people have watched the rescue online (

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It comes after a "heartbroken" animal lover says her beloved horse up was tied up with barbed wire and left to drown by "vile" thugs who broke onto her farm.

Julie Jackson arrived at her ten acres of land in the Gwent Levels, Wales on the morning of Tuesday, November 19, to discover that her three beloved animals, horse Skye and two ponies, Red and Oak, were nowhere to be seen. After searching the field, the mum found a gate had been cut through and that her animals had either escaped or been led out deliberately. A short time later, she was told by a neighbouring farmer that he had found the three animals in a water-filled ditch on his land - and that their hooves had been tied together with barbed wire.

The mare survived and staggered to her feet (

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Skye, who Julie owned for 30 years, was found in a secluded area beside a railway line and had died in the water. The ponies who were found in the same spot fortunately survived the ordeal, and are now being cared for.

A vet found Oak had water on his lungs while Red had to be sedated to have the wire removed as it was so tight and deep into his flesh. Describing the sick cruelty inflicted on the horses and ponies, Julie told Wales Online: "Some vile excuses of humans broke into my yard. It appears they made makeshift halters out of barbed wire, cut through the fences and forced my three ponies to walk through 40 acres of farmland to a secluded area."