A cow escaped onto State Highway 1 in South Canterbury on Sunday, leading police on a comical chase to catch it.
A motorist caught up in the traffic stop filmed the moment. They said they were left laughing as officers tried to wrangle the calm, but very dodgy, cow. Footage shared by Stuff journalist Poppy Clark shows the cow calmly side-stepping officers every time they got close, dodging out of reach again and again.
State Highway 1 is one of New Zealand’s busiest roads, running the length of the country, so police needed to act quickly to keep drivers and the cow safe.
Cows might look slow and gentle, but they are actually large, strong animals that can move quickly when they want to, which can make them tricky to catch. Escaped farm animals on the road are not uncommon in rural parts of New Zealand, especially if a fence or gate has been left open.
The video is a light-hearted reminder that in farming country, you never quite know what – or who – you might meet on the road.
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