Missing cow spent nine months on the run

A runaway Highland cow spent nine months in hiding to avoid the slaughterhouse. Floss emerged only at night to feed under cover of darkness and ventured 60 miles from her home field to avoid detection. Now she has been saved permanently from the abattoir by animal lovers Sue McAuley and Tracey Jaine who bought her for £500 and transported her to a sanctuary.

Nicknamed the Beast of Ealand, she was bought from a market in Thirsk, North Yorks, but escaped from her owners as she was being unloaded. The cow fed wild off the land for more than nine months, travelling from ditch to dyke, before she was tracked down and sent to Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Frettenham, near Spixworth, Norfolk.

Wendy Valentine, founder of Hillside, which mainly takes in animals rescued from the farming industry, said: "When I first got the call I just thought that we had to help. She'll stay with us for the rest of her natural days and we'll introduce her to the others."



Now she'll get to go in with other Highland cows and become part of the herd. Floss is thought to have escaped in a bid to find her calf which she was separated from when she was taken to market. She was sighted across East Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire and travelled more than 60 miles altogether. Floss bedded down in tips, was chased by yobs on quad bikes, was almost run down by joyriders and poached by idiots taking shots at her.

Sue McAuley, 42, said: "When I first heard there was a cow wondering in the wild I thought it was just a tall story to be honest but then I saw her outside. I was happy she got caught but I wanted to raise the money to buy her to keep her safe. Seeing her off at Hillside was fantastic."

She added: "Floss trotted off the back of the trailer and it was the most wonderful thing. She ran straight towards the other Highland cows and the hay. She really deserves it. For an animal to look after herself all that time she deserves this life."