Loose cattle run through Steinbach streets after falling from trailer

A handful of cows fell out of the back of a moving trailer and roamed around southwest Steinbach for hours on Tuesday. One cow remained on the loose Wednesday afternoon.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the backdoor of the trailer the cattle were travelling in broke, and five of them - two bulls and three cows - fell out, although none of them were injured, Steinbach RCMP Staff Sgt. Harold Laninga said.

"It is one of the aspects of rural policing that as RCMP officers, we're fortunate to be involved with," he said.

Residents spotted the animals in downtown Steinbach, which is about 50 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, as well as in rural areas. They wandered into traffic and ran across soccer fields.

"They were around quite a bit," Laninga said.

Although a loose herd of large mammals raises obvious safety concerns, Laninga says the cows remained largely placid.

"They were very calm for the most part," he said.

Officers managed to capture most of the animals by Tuesday evening, cornering some in backyards, or setting up a "gauntlet" and funneling one into a trailer. People on horseback helped to pursue the animals as they ran through traffic.

One cow was still on the loose and was last spotted around 5 a.m. Wednesday, hiding in a wooded area along Highway 12.

Laninga couldn't say whether he thought police would capture the cow soon.

"That's up to the cow," he said. "If she pops out, I suppose, that's when we'll get her."

This isn't the first time Laninga had dealt with escaped farm animals.

"It's happened a few times in my career and primarily here in the south, it seems to happen more often," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, RCMP got a call about an escaped horse. This animal was captured much more quickly, after its owner showed up with some oats and lured it toward someone with a bridle.