Runaway cow 'mooooved' on by RSPCA

RSPCA chief inspector Mark Gent was alerted to the escaped Belgian Blue cow on Monday (20 April) on the A167 in Croft on Tees, near Darlington, Co Durham.

Mark said: “I live close to where the cow was spotted loose and was alerted by a member of the public.

“When I arrived she was in an insecure compound right next to the East Coast main line railway so I was extremely concerned about her straying onto the track.

“I informed the local police and Network Rail before contacting local farmers to try to track down her owner.

“By this point the cow had wandered onto the A167 which is a busy main road. A member of the public managed to herd her into a crop field as the police arrived to start taping off a secure area in a field but she strayed back onto the road again.

“We eventually managed to trap her in a farm driveway and she showed her agility by jumping into a field. Thankfully, she was then secure so we contacted the local council and they managed to track down her owner who came to collect her.”

Anyone who comes across a large animal such as a horse or other livestock straying on or near a road should contact police and the highway authorities. To report a concern for an animal's welfare please contact the RSPCA's hotline on 0300 1234 999.

Mark added: “I’d like to thank North Yorkshire Police, local farmers and members of the public who all helped to get this cow to safety. Everyone pulling together certainly helped ensure we could get this cow back to her owner - and I’m sure helped to avert a serious incident.”

To help the RSPCA keep rescuing animals and keep our animal hospitals and centres running for emergency treatment and round the clock care through these unprecedented times, please donate whatever you can spare at www.rspca.org.uk/covid.