Cow greeting public after escape onto Virginia road

Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Managers at a farm attraction in Virginia said a cow that escaped quarantine for a run on the highway is now greeting members of the public.

Frying Pan Farm Park Manager Yvonne Johnson said Hokie the black Angus cow's quarantine stall was being cleaned just days after the animal arrived at the Herndon park from Virginia Tech.

The cow, which was being quarantined as a routine precautionary measure to make sure she wasn't infected with any diseases that could harm other cows, jumped over a wagon and escaped to a nearby road.

"She had a five hour trailer ride, she left all the friends she ever knew, she came to a strange place, and we put her in a stall all by herself," Johnson told WDVM-TV. "She's a herd animal and herd animals like company."

Hokie ran down Centreville Road and make it onto Route 28 before being corralled by concerned bystanders.

Johnson said Hokie was not injured during her brief escape and is now out of quarantine and available for visits with the public.

The manager said Hokie will be a breeding cow for the park and is expected to have her first calf in the spring.