Baffled residents on a quiet Lanarkshire street called the Scottish SPCA after waking up to find a Highland cow in their garden.
Scotland's animal welfare charity was alerted by a surprised family from Colonsay, East Kilbride, early on Wednesday morning.
Animal rescue officers Joanna Boyle and Gavin Law managed to lead the escapee safely back to his field around 200 yards away.
Joanna said, "When the call information came in I thought there must be a mistake. I was very surprised when I got there and saw there was actually a Highland cow in the front garden.
"Colonsay is a quiet residential street but it leads to a busy main road and the cow was beginning to stray towards it so we're glad we were able to help.
"He was quite reluctant to go back into his field at first but as soon as he saw his three girlfriends waiting for him he went quite happily.
"There were no gaps in the fence so we think he may have been spooked by a dog earlier in the morning and jumped over.
"It was certainly a strange sight for the many people passing by on the school run and one of the most unusual rescues we've been called to.
"Given that we deal with cruelty and neglect day in day out, this did put a smile on our faces. We're really glad we were able to return this adventurous visitor to safety after his little escapade."
Anyone who discovers an injured or distressed animal should call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
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