Cows swept away by Hurricane Dorian swim to safety on Outer Banks

CAPE LOOKOUT, NC — A trio of castaway cows has been discovered on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where they apparently washed up after swimming for miles to escape Hurricane Dorian’s storm surge.

Cape Lookout National Seashore officials think the stranded cows swam up to 5 miles (8 kilometers) during the September storm before being found near Cape Lookout this month. The cows belong to a herd that roams freely on Cedar Island, across the sound. When Dorian generated an 8-foot (2-meter) “mini tsunami,” it washed them and dozens of other animals away, including 28 wild horses that died.

Seashore spokesman B.G. Horvat told McClatchy news group the cows are grazing peacefully after a harrowing feat of survival, but they need to go home. He thinks they’ll have to be sedated for the boat trip.