A New Brunswick farmer is literally waiting for the cow to come home after a fugitive bovine bolted from its herd and has taken to hiding out near the town of Oromocto.
For years, cattle farmer Wayne Morgan has summer pastured his herd of cows on a grassy island in the St. John River without a problem.
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But this year, when he went to Oromocto Island to fetch the herd on Oct. 16, one of the tan-coloured cows had a beef with going back to the farm.
The cow jumped off the barge Morgan was using and made a swim for freedom.
The Charolais shorthorn cross has been spotted on nearby Thatch Island — which is just a short cow-paddle across the river from Oromocto Island.
Thatch Island is connected to the mainland, so Morgan is concerned the hooved runaway might wander too close to the busy Lincoln Road nearby.
He’s heard from cow tippers — folks who’ve spotted the wandering cow with a yellow ear tag that reads KM4.
“We almost had her once,” said Morgan. “We know where she’s at, it’s just getting her.”
They’ve had reports of her on Thatch Road near an autobody shop, but so far nobody’s tailed the animal to where it’s hiding.
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The farmer is going to the area soon to rig up some feed to entice the cow into a “head lock” trap, but that might have to wait a day or two until other important farm business is out of the way.
There’s an important calf sale to attend to, plus the regular daily business of running a busy farm, Morgan explained. Trying to keep tabs on the refugee cow is just more bull for the farmer to deal with.
“Right now I’m busier than a cat having kittens,” Morgan said.
Morgan plans to make another attempt to corral the cow Thursday evening.