We have seen it before: A group of cows escape from their fence and block a county highway. However in a rarer sight, one Los Angeles County neighborhood had a group of cows running through their streets last night after escaping from a nearby slaughterhouse.
In Pico Rivera, California, police reported that a group of 40 cows were on the loose and asked the public to avoid the area around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. (Reports called them “cows,” but we’re not sure if authorities knew for sure that they were cows or were using that term more generically for bovines.) Police said they believe the cows escaped from the near by packing plant after a gate was accidently left open.
STEER CLEAR for a few more minutes please. We are in the process of mooo-ving the cows!
— LASD Pico Rivera (@PRVLASD) June 23, 2021
On Twitter, the LASD Police Department tweeted, “Beverly Rd and Durfee Av, Pico Rivera. Several cows became loose and are in the area. Please avoid the area.” In a follow up tweet, they couldn’t help but to add a few good puns. “STEER CLEAR for a few more minutes please. We are in the process of mooo-ving the cows!”
The cows were lose for hours and avoided capture through residential areas as authorities tried to corral the group. Where is Sam Elliott when you need him?
As the stampede continued, the situation became more physical. According to The Associated Press, “One cow charged at four members of a family, knocking them to the ground. A deputy shot and killed the animal to protect the family from further injury. The family was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.”
After the cows made a one mile trek down the street, police barricaded them in a cul-de-sac in an effort to load them into a trailer. Thankfully, no other injuries were reported after the police corralled the cows into the trailer.
Even after a late night of rounding up the cows, there is an elusive one in the bunch. In an update this morning, the department said, “Of the 40, 38 were safely captured, one was shot, and one has not been located.”
If you’re in the area, maybe keep an eye out for that lone holdout!
