LOS ANGELES, March 10 — An escaped cow that went for a stroll along a California highway brought traffic to a halt Wednesday, as drivers joined police in trying to capture the creature.

Live footage broadcast by one local TV station showed cars attempting to corral the brown bovine as it sauntered up an exit on the freeway northwest of Pasadena.

Motorists appeared at one point to have the fugitive penned, but when one of them got out of the car, the cow doubled back, and trotted onto the interstate.

Other footage from rival broadcasters showed the animal hoofing its way through a nearby strip mall after leaving the freeway, climbing a flight of stairs and even avoiding a waiting lasso.

Los Angeles’ CBS affiliate reported that a police officer on a motorcycle then accompanied the cow for a short distance until it wandered to a local farm.

There, farmworkers — presumably with more cow experience than city drivers and motorcycle cops — managed to recapture the animal, the station said on its website. — AFP