CALDWELL, Idaho — Two cows that escaped from their pasture are back home after going for a jog down Interstate 84 in Caldwell on Sunday.
According to Idaho State Police, drivers began calling in reports of multiple cows in the roadway between Exit 29 and Exit 32. By the time troopers arrived, ISP Sgt. Steve Farley said, the animals were no longer in the lanes.
"One cow was completely off of the roadway very near the Franklin Road exit in Caldwell and was no longer a hazard to people driving along the interstate, and the other one was actually in the construction zone near milepost 31 and the owner actually kind of had it pinned in between the barriers there when we arrived on scene," he said.
Farley said Caldwell Police and the Canyon County Sheriff's Office helped keep the cows contained until more help arrived. People the owner knew showed up with horses, a truck and trailer to get the escapees back home.
But one of the cows decided she was not ready for her adventure to end.
"When we were attempting to get the cow into the trailer, she changed her mind and decided that she was going to take another trip down the interstate," Farley said. "So the two individuals on horseback were able to follow her and eventually able to get her roped and secured so we could keep her off of the interstate. And they were able to keep her in place until we were able to get that truck and trailer back around to where they had her closer to exit 29 at that point. And they were able to pull her up and into the trailer very quickly once we had her roped."
Motorists passing by, including Amanda Chapman, captured video of the impromptu roundup.
"We've got some cowboys, and an angry cow taking off on the freeway," Chapman says in the video, which was shared with KTVB.
At one point, the cow darts around a police car and construction barrels and back out onto the roadway in front of the Chapmans' vehicle.
Farley said he appreciated that Chapman was taking video from the passenger seat, rather than while driving, and urged everyone to keep their hands on the wheel and their focus on the road in similar situations. He also thanked the men on horseback who aided in the cows' recapture.
"They did a fantastic job. We really appreciate those two coming out with their horses because there was no way we would have gotten her in without their help," he said. "You know, we don't deal with this a lot, but living in Idaho, it's not unheard of for us to have to go and deal with cows out on the interstate or cows out on roadways. It is part of the deal, but it is definitely unusual , especially on the interstate here in the Treasure Valley. We don't typically expect to see that."
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: