A cow almost entirely buried in silt was rescued by Navy personnel and locals near Napier, NZ on Sunday.

In a Facebook post, the Royal New Zealand navy said its HMNZS Te Mana crew spotted the bovine while travelling near the Tutaekuri River.

The team waded out to rescue the animal, which attracted the attention of locals who came and lent a hand.

“After an exhausting effort with strops, shovels and sticks, the cow was eventually freed and returned to a grateful farmer,” the post read.

“Udderly amazing, so glad you could moooove it,” one person commented.

“Stories like this keep us all going. Thank you guys! Awesome mahi,” another replied.