Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. — What's a girl to do when she finds herself all alone in a strange town being stalked by a bunch of strangers? For starters, she might want to hide out in the daytime and forage for food at night.
That's just what a large, black heifer — possibly of the Angus variety — has been doing since Sept. 15.
Plattsmouth animal control officer Sue Baker said residents are calling the bovine "ninja cow" because it will suddenly appear at night to graze and then heads for the woods when it sees people.
"We've been trying to catch her for a long time," Baker said. "I started chasing her when I got a call in the middle of the night about a cow on the loose. I found a panel from a cattle truck in the street, and we know another cow was corralled that same night by a farmer near Highway 75 in Sarpy County."
Baker has been unable to locate anyone missing an animal. When the cow is caught, it will be up to the city to decide what to do with it.
Sgt. David Murdoch of the Plattsmouth Police Department said the cow is increasingly showing up on city streets, possibly because the grass outside of town is turning coarse with the cold weather and city lawns are much softer. Feed is being left out in three locations — on a tennis court, at the city water tower and a pen north of town — where gates can be closed behind the cow.
"She hasn't done any damage, but there are a lot of cow pies around," Murdoch said. "The thing is, what we really don't want her to do is wander out into the road and get hit by a car. She would do a lot more damage than a deer."
Baker contacted John and Jessica Vallery of the W.J. Cattle Co. for help on Tuesday. The couple live south of Plattsmouth and work their own cattle herd.
The Vallerys nearly herded the "ninja cow" into the fenced tennis court Tuesday night, but just then someone happened by and the animal darted off. Jessica Vallery said the cow ran into some nearby woods and not even an infrared camera operated by a local firefighter could locate it.
The Vallerys asked Baker to let them search for the cow at least until Monday. They intend to track it on foot, horseback and four-wheeler.
"I would hate to see (officials) have to put her down," Jessica Vallery said. "I know she is probably scared. If it snows this weekend that will be in our favor because she'll be easier to track, but she is very smart and it won't be easy."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
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