Claremont police officers are used to tracking down stolen cars or runaway perps, but on Sunday morning they dealt with a different kind of pursuit—a runaway cow.

The saga began when Officer Jamison Sims got a call around 6:50 a.m. regarding a cow that was possibly in distress on the 700 block of Alamosa Drive, according to Sgt. Eric Huizar of the Claremont Police Department.

When Officer Sims arrived, the cow looked at him and walked toward the gate, stepping on the pressure plates to the home and causing the gate to swing wide open. The cow exited the gate, took one last look at the officer, and took off down Alamosa Drive.

“The cow’s a lot smarter than we think,” Sgt. Huizar said.

Thus began a 30-minute chase down Alamosa, with Officer Sims trying to curb the cow’s quest for freedom. Calls to the home from which the cow originated went unanswered, as did calls to the local humane society, Sgt. Huizar said.

Eventually, a nearby resident made a lasso out of a rope and handed it to the officer, who then caught the beleaguered bovine and tied her to a lemon tree.

Another resident also found the reason why the cow was in such distress—she needed to be milked.

“So she runs out and she milks the cow,” Sgt. Huizar said. “She’s definitely a good Samaritan, because she can tell what’s causing the pain.”

The owner of the cow, who was home at the time but did not answer repeated calls by police, noted that the cow was recently separated from her calf and her offspring was being weaned.

The cow was safely returned to the owner.

—Matthew Bramlett

news@claremont-courier.com