Cow goes on the run for nine months

A Highland cow has gone on the run for nine months and managed to avoid the slaughterhouse.

Floss has been saved from the abattoir by animal lovers Sue McAuley and Tracey Jaine, who purchased her for £500.

The animal had previously been bought from a market in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, but ended up escaping before she could be killed. It is believed that she went on the run to find her baby calf.

Afterwards, she was sighted across East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire and is believed to have travelled more than 60 miles. According to The Daily Telegraph, she "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".

Floss eventually settled near Scunthorpe, where she was given the nickname the 'Beast of Ealand'.

McAuley and Jaine have now raised enough cash for the cow to be sent to Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk.

"I thought it was such a shame she was running loose and fending for herself," said Jaine. "I thought of Hillside because a while ago I stopped eating mass-produced meat after watching various videos they'd produced.

"I gave them a call to see if they'd take her and when we raised the money to buy her we drove down there."

Hillside owner Wendy Valentine commented: "She is a lovely, gentle cow who seems quite serene and happy. She will stay with us for the rest of her days."