A cow played a dangerous game of chicken with New Jersey drivers early Thursday morning. The heifer made quite a dash for freedom on Interstate 80 in the city of Paterson.
Someone reached 911 and had trouble describing the creature clearly, according to NBC New York. The caller described the cow a “big animal,” as the 911 call shows.
“An animal?” asked the dispatch operator. “Like a reindeer?” The caller, apparently baffled by the bovine, stammered a bit before the operator suggested if the animal was a cow.
“A cow … big!” said the caller.
Video shows authorities attempting to safely restrain the animal. It wasn’t pretty. They managed tie up the cow by the neck and attempted to put another leash on her. The livid livestock lashed out, struggling against the rope, in an attempt to milk newfound freedom while it lasted.
She fell to the ground, and officials held her down as they finished tying her up.
“It’s all right, baby,” said a man.
In a brief statement Thursday morning, Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue said that the cow jumped out of the second floor of a transport truck onto the highway. They were transporting her to a vet, they said.
“She is good, slightly banged up,” the sanctuary told Law&Crime in a Facebook direct message. “Her name is Brianna. She will live her life out here, free from fear or harm.”
This is far from the only recent instance of escaped livestock complicating matters. More than 100 goats swarmed an Idaho neighborhood in August and consumed lawns. A cow in New York City led police on a wild chase last year after escaping a slaughterhouse.
Note: Updated to mention a direct message from the sanctuary.
[Image via Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue]
