Cows run loose on Highway 400 creating udder chaos

Several cows are loose on Highway 400 north of Toronto. It’s unclear how they escaped as police work to safely corral them and clear the road.

Traffic in both directions along Highway 400 was slow moo-ving Friday due to an unusual sight as a group of cows were spotted running loose near Aurora.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt. “We got half a dozen cows running up and down the highway.”

Provincial police officers said the situation began mid-day when multiple cows were seen running between Highway 9 and Aurora Road, creating heavy slowdowns in both directions.

“We have about six different cows running up and down the highway,” said Schmidt. “Heavy delays approaching the scene in both directions if you’re heading to the cottage or heading out of town or heading into town.”

Officers and farmers were seen attempting to wrangle the animals using lassos and ATVs.

“[The cows] were running up and down the highway, through construction zones and across the highway,” police described.

Schmidt said police first got the call shortly before 2 p.m. after the cows escaped their enclosure believed to be somewhere around Highway 9.

Police said trying to bring them to safety has proven challenging.

“We are working with the owners of these cows to try to get them back into trailers but they aren’t too cooperative at this time,” Schmidt said. “These animals were charging officers and they’re huge, they’re massive.”

The cows dodged capture for several hours, as motorists on both sides of the highway slowed to catch a glimpse.

Shortly before 5 p.m., Schmidt confirmed all the cows had been removed from the highway, but the situation wasn’t quite over just yet.

“Two cows have been corralled, four others are in a field west of Highway 400,” he noted. “We have officers, farmers and ministry folks here trying to slowly direct this cow into a trailer.” The remaining cows were in a field along Canal Road in Bradford.

“They’re scared, they’re shocked, they’re exhausted,” the OPP added.

Around 6:45 p.m., police updated the situation saying traffic along Highway 400 was finally on the mooove with the cows off the roadway, adding the owners were “working on getting them returned to the farm.”