Cows swept out to sea by hurricane found alive after swimming for several miles

‘The cows certainly have a gripping story to share’

File photo of buffalo swimming (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Three cows swept off an island in North Carolina during Hurricane Dorian that were believed to have drowned have turned up safe and well on another island two months later, after apparently swimming several miles to safety.

The animals came from a larger herd living on Cedar Island, off the east coast of the US, and were swept away during a tidal surge caused by low air pressure and large waves whipped up by record-breaking winds.

It was feared they could never have survived such terrible conditions, until they were spotted five miles northeast at the Cape Lookout National Seashore park, on an island which makes up a chain known as the Outer Banks.

It means the cattle successfully navigated five miles of stormy seas during the hurricane, which was one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic.

Cape Lookout Park spokesman BG Horvat said the cows were lucky not to have been swept out past the island chain and into the ocean, which was the fate of some wild horses who drowned due to the storm.

“I’ll say it’s about four miles across Core Sound,” Mr Horvat told McClatchy news service.

“Remember, the cows and all the horses were swept away with the water surging back. Who knows exactly, but the cows certainly have a gripping story to share.”

Local authorities are now working out how to recover the animals.