Story at a glance
- Hurricane Dorian caused a “mini tsunami” that swept wildlife off of a North Carolina island and killed dozens of horses in September.
- A herd of wild cattle was also swept to sea, but three cows have been found safely on a barrier island.
- The cows will likely not be allowed to stay on their new island home.
A “mini tsunami” caused by Hurricane Dorian pushed most of the wildlife off of North Carolina’s Cedar Island in early September. Dozens of horses were swept out to sea and drowned, but park staff were surprised to find three feral cows alive and well on an undeveloped barrier island called Cape Lookout.
A herd of about 20 feral cows lived on Cedar Island, roaming on private land, and were caught in the storm surge along with the horses and wildlife. If they had been swept any further away, they would have been lost in the open Atlantic, the Washington Post notes. Instead, it appears the cows swam to shore.
The cows were first spotted on the island in October, reports the Charlotte Observer. One cow was spotted about a month after the hurricane and nicknamed “Doriene.” The administrator of a Facebook page dedicated to the wild horses of Cedar Island posted online on Nov. 12 about the discovery.
“Just 9 days ago we went to check on Doriene. Much to our surprise, Doriene has found two of her family members. They all three look healthy and well. It is so amazing how strong and resilient these animals have been,” the post says.
Doriene and her companions aren’t the only swimming cattle. Cows are surprisingly good swimmers, evidenced by a herd in the U.K. that regularly swim about 100 yards to reach preferred grazing grounds on an island.
Although the cows seem to be settling into their island home, Cape Lookout spokesman B. G. Horvat suspects that the cows will likely be sedated and airlifted back to Cedar Island. The National Park Service describes the cows as “very wild and very skittish” around humans, and is working on a plan for how best to handle the situation.
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