Bizarre moment a live COW washes up on a regional beach amid treacherous surf conditions during NSW’s historic rain storm
- A cow has washed up on Old Bar Beach in the mid-north coast region of Taree
- The distressed animal was found by locals on Saturday after severe rainstorm
- Old Bar Taree Surf Life Saving Club safely relocated the cow to a nearby paddock
A distressed cow has been found alone on a deserted beach after a herd of cattle were swept away during New South Wale’s historic rainstorm.
Beachgoers were shocked to discover the female cow had washed up on Old Bar Beach near the NSW mid-north coast town of Taree on Saturday.
The discovery came as the once-in-a-century weather system flooded rivers in the region and cut off parts of the Pacific Highway.
A hazardous surf warning is also in place for the Coffs Coast and the Macquarie Coast until Sunday at the earliest.
A cow has washed up on Old Bar beach near the mid-north coast region of Taree on Saturday after a devastating storm
Volunteers from the Old Bar Taree Surf Life Saving Club found the cow and relocated the animal
‘This lucky little girl chose the right beach to wash up on’, a woman posted on Twitter on Saturday afternoon.
A group of volunteers from the Old Bar Taree Surf Life Saving Club safely removed the animal from the sand and put her in a nearby paddock.
‘There’s a herd of 22 cows missing, hopefully this is one of them’, the woman said.
Other Australians responded to the footage with shock and concern for the cow’s safety.
‘Poor thing would be knackered and so scared’, one person wrote.
‘What a terrible ordeal. I hope she can have a happy life in a sanctuary somewhere,’ another said.
‘I’m so glad the cow is safe, how distressing’, another commented.
The rescue comes after major flood warnings were issued across the state on Saturday, as torrential rain and severe flooding battered the east and north coast.
Thousands of residents in Taree and surrounding suburbs were told to prepare to evacuate their homes as 50-80mm of rainfall and severe thunderstorms hammered the region.
The cow was safely transported into a nearby paddock by the Old Bar Taree Surf Life Saving Club
Major flood warnings were issued across the state on Saturday, as torrential rain and severe flooding battered east and north coast
Speaking in an emergency press conference, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said the ‘extreme weather event’ would persist well into next week – with rain not due to stop until Thursday or Friday.
‘The last time we got major floods in the NSW the weather event passed in two or three days, unfortunately, this will be a deep-seated, extreme weather event,’ she said.
‘This is an event that will not be going away in the next few days.’
The weather bureau warned of intense rainfall ‘potentially leading to life-threatening flash flooding’ and damaging winds averaging 60-70km/h with gusts exceeding 90km/h.