Reminding us again of how close we are to the countryside, a member of the livestock community in Pleasanton got loose Wednesday night and wandered onto some busy streets in the city, at one point having a "cow-llision" with a Tesla.
The wayward cow appeared on Pleasanton's Bernal Avenue near the busy intersection of Stanley Avenue around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday. The presence of the large animal was "causing slowdowns," according to a tweet from Pleasanton police.
"Our team of officers quickly responded and spotted a brown cow," police say. "Despite a cow-llision with a sedan, the cow safely returned home. There were no reported injuries."
In the incident with the Tesla, the car apparently ran into the cow, but neither the animal nor the driver were injured — only the car, which suffered a smashed windshield and other visible damage.
KRON4 notes that the image of the damaged Tesla appears to show "fecal matter" smeared across the hood. Unclear how that happened...
As to where the cow came from, "We believe it was from a nearby property,” said Pleasanton city spokesperson Teri Yan, speaking to the East Bay Times. "Generally speaking, there are properties in that area with wildlife."
The cow also made a stop at the McDonald's at Bernal and Stanley. "It was running around exploring," Yan tells the paper. "Going on a tour."
This evening we received multiple calls about a loose cow causing slowdowns along Bernal and Stanley. Our team of officers quickly responded and spotted a brown cow. Despite a cow-llision with a sedan, the cow safely returned home. There were no reported injuries. 🐂 pic.twitter.com/7cxBEWssC8
— Pleasanton PD (@pleasantonpd) February 2, 2023
Wrangling the cow required help from two ranchers from Danville, one on a horse.
As Yan tells the East Bay Times, "One of the ranchers was on a horse, and that allowed him to get close enough [to lasso it]. Our department doesn’t have horses available."
The cow was reportedly lassoed about an hour into this ordeal, around 7 p.m.
