A runaway cow named Yvonne is on the loose in Germany, and the hunt for the Bavarian bovine has captivated the country.
The freedom-loving cow ran away from a small farm in Bavaria in May and has managed to hide successfully in the forests of southern Germany ever since — despite her sturdy 1,500-pound figure.
Locals have reported a few sightings of the brown dairy cow with the white head, but every time search teams have tried to capture her, Yvonne had already hoofed it from the area. A helicopter equipped with a thermal camera used in search-and-rescue missions returned Thursday empty-handed.
Searchers have tried to lure Yvonne into the open with food, with the bellows of her son Friesi and her sister Waltraud, even with a prospective mate named Ernst. Scores of volunteers are combing upper Bavaria's woods for her.
The 6-year-old animal would have never made national headlines if it hadn't been for a near-collision with a police car days after she broke away. The rural district office in Muehldorf reacted by labeling the big-eyed bovine a public danger and ordering her shot on sight.
That prompted animal-rights activists to rally to her defense. A Facebook page calling for Yvonne's rescue had more-than 23,000 "likes" by Friday, and Germany's biggest-selling newspaper, Bild, has offered a $14,369 reward for anyone who helps find Yvonne.
In the wake of all the attention, the order to shoot Yvonne has been suspended.
A Bavarian animal sanctuary has bought Yvonne from her former owners and is taking the lead in trying to rescue her. "We're hot on her tail," it reported Friday.
Meanwhile, a song by local band Gnadenkapelle has become an instant hit.
"Why don't you leave Yvonne alone, she's only a runaway cow … You wild cow, don't let them take your freedom," they sing.
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