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MOO-VE OVER: Drivers forced to steer clear of runaway cows on Hwy. 400 near Newmarket

The small herd of cattle wandered onto the busy highway, snarling holiday weekend traffic

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OPP beefed up their presence on a busy highway north of the city Friday afternoon in order to corral a small herd of cattle that strayed into traffic from a nearby farm.

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Ontario Provincial Police say seven cows wandered onto Hwy. 400 between Hwy. 9 and Aurora Rd. – west of Newmarket – around 2 p.m. causing “heavy delays” in both directions as the Victoria Day weekend kicked off.

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“Cows running up and down the highway here,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in one of several videos posted on X.

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He said the animals were “not too co-operative” as officers used their police vehicles to try to move the cattle off the highway.

OPP officers had wrangle a small herd of cows and move them to safety after the cattle wandered off from a farm and onto Hwy. 400 west of Newmarket on Friday, May 16, 2025.
OPP officers had wrangle a small herd of cows and move them to safety after the cattle wandered off from a farm and onto Hwy. 400 west of Newmarket on Friday, May 16, 2025. Photo by Handout /Ontario Provincial Police

OPP video footage shows the confused cows walking, and at times trotting, up and down the highway as police worked to direct them to safety.

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The cattle had a “huge impact on traffic” until they finally exited the highway around 7 p.m.

OPP officers had wrangle a small herd of cows and move them to safety after the cattle wandered off from a farm and onto Hwy. 400 west of Newmarket on Friday, May 16, 2025.
OPP officers had wrangle a small herd of cows and move them to safety after the cattle wandered off from a farm and onto Hwy. 400 west of Newmarket on Friday, May 16, 2025. Photo by Handout /Ontario Provincial Police

The cows made their way into a nearby field and officers, with help from farmers and transportation workers, worked into the night to get the animals loaded into trailers and returned to their farm.

cdoucette@postmedia.com

@sundoucette

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