A peaceful Sunday afternoon was shattered for the residents of a Perth suburb when a herd of cows made a bid for freedom.
The householders on Kinnoull Hill are used to a varied wildlife in their gardens but an invasion by a ten-strong herd was a first.
“I was just about to get lunch when my wife shouted ‘there’s a herd of cows coming down the road’,” said Corsie Avenue resident Michael Drew.
“We get the odd deer, but I had never seen anything like this.”
Along with other residents who had come out to see what all the fuss was about they managed to herd the cows into one garden in the street.
“A group of us corralled them into one place, it seemed a bit safer than having them running around,” said one man who had been visiting his parents.
The police were summoned at around 1.40pm and contacted the local farming community to remove the cows.
While the police were waiting for assistance the owner of the house where the cows were happily grazing arrived back home.
She wondered what all the fuss was about when she saw police and crowds outside her home but took the invasion in good spirit.
“I think I was relieved to see that it was just cows in my garden,” said the woman who declined to be named.
“It could have been something much worse.”
After around two hours of freedom the cows – which had pushed over a gate at a field across from nearby Corsie Road before escaping – were coaxed out onto the street by a local farmer.
With the assistance of local people and other farmers and their staff, the cows were led off up the street and down a lane towards their field.
The owner of the garden where the cows had taken refuge was left to inspect the damage to her lawn and shrubs, but police told her the farmer had said he would be back in touch with her over the matter.