A man pinned by cattle in northeastern Santa Barbara County was taken to a local hospital for treatment of moderate injuries Wednesday morning.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded to the incident on the North Fork Ranch at Highway 166 and Cottonwood Canyon Road in the Cuyama Valley about 10:15 a.m., according to Mike Eliason, Fire Department spokesman.

“Firefighters from Station 41 responded and upon arrival found a 65-year-old male who had been injured by a large cow after the animal charged and pinned the man against the corral during an apparent branding operation,” Eliason said. “The man had suffered moderate injuries to his chest and upper body and was having difficulty breathing.”

Firefighter-paramedics on scene determined that due to the remote location, the man should be transported via helicopter.

A County Air Operations helicopter with firefighter-paramedics on board took the man to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.