Cows Swim to Safety

In September after hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, the weakened but still dangerous storm moved northward along North Carolina's coast.  Dorian’s storm surge pushed massive amounts of water into coastal streams and wetlands.  That water rushed back out to sea as the storm moved on creating an eight foot tall Tsunami that washed away horses and cows pastured on Cedar Island.  Twenty-eight horses were lost to the wave and sea, but three intrepid cows somehow managed to survive the surging waters and end up miles away on a narrow barrier island, the last piece of land before the open ocean.

"I'll say it's about 4 miles across Core Sound," Seashore spokesman B.G. Horvat told McClatchy news group, the Charlotte Observer reported. "Remember, the cows and all the horses were swept away with the water surging back. Who knows exactly, but the cows certainly have a gripping story to share."

Cows are recognized as adept swimmers comfortable with covering a few hundred yards, according to the Guardian. But swimming miles of open water in a hurricane is outside their general range of expertise.

Horvat told McClatchy that the cows are grazing peacefully after a harrowing feat of survival, but they will need to go home. He thinks they’ll have to be sedated for the boat trip back to Cedar Island.