Swiss army airlift water to thirsty animals
STORY: Lower rainfall this year forced farmers to call in the army to swoop in with much needed refreshments for their animals and prevent this year's drought causing feed shortages later in the year.
A two-week operation is now underway with three Super Puma helicopters flying to refill the near-empty reservoirs used by farmers for their cows, whose milk is often used to make Gruyere cheese, and other animals like pigs and goats.
Overall, some 400,000 liters of water could be delivered in the operation, which was also carried out during the droughts of 2015 and 2018.
Without the emergency water supply, the animals would have to be brought down from their elevated fields to graze in the lowlands, where normally their winter hay is produced during the summer months.
