California residents could have been forgiven for thinking they were dreaming when they saw a loose donkey leading a herd of sheep and goats past their homes late one night last week.
Police were notified of the escapees at around 12.30am last Thursday (25 January) as the animals wandered through the Francisquito neighbourhood.
Officers found that the donkeys and sheep had escaped from a field in Valinda.
The animals were eventually captured in West Covina and were safely transported back to their owner later that night.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
“When a police officer reaches the end of his or her career, most of them will say ‘I’ve seen it all’. Well, let’s add one more rare call for service to that list,” said a spokesman for West Covina Police.
“Officers found several sheep and goats being led by a donkey walking along the residential streets. The group of animals at first failed to comply with officers as they evaded capture.
“With the assistance of the Los Angeles sheriff’s department, the animals were safely corralled.
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“It was discovered that the animals had found freedom through an unsecured gate from a residence located in the city of Valinda.
“The owner was contacted and he responded to assist in herding the animals back to his residence. None of the animals were injured.
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“This incident is one for the books.”
The force shared details of the unusual incident on its Facebook page, in a post which has attracted nearly 500 shares and hundreds of comments.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.
