Three Helpless Cows Become Stranded on a Grassy Island Created by the New Zealand Earthquake

Newshub cameraman Chris Jones was flying in helicopter documenting the immense 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that recently hit New Zealand, when he captured the indelible image of three helpless cows who survived, but were stranded on an island that was once their grassy field. According to Newshub, the fate of the trio is yet unknown, but the Federated Farmers of New Zealand are searching for the bovine three.

Federated Farmers is trying to find three cows left stranded on quake island near Kaikoura, after a destructive magnitude-7.5 earthquake sent tremors throughout New Zealand on Monday. The co-operative told Newshub it is carrying out mapping in an effort to find out where they are and whether a rescue effort will be carried out. Footage captured by Newshub cameraman Chris Jones from a helicopter above a farm near quake-hit Kaikoura caused a mad rush to find out what has happened to the cattle, who were trapped on a tiny piece of unshaken land.

UPDATE: Newshub has reported the cows have been rescued

A Kaikoura farmer has told Newshub he rescued his now world-famous cows with pick and shovel after they became stranded on a quake-made island. …The bovines’ recovery was delayed for safety reasons, as the group of rescuers wasn’t sure the earth below them was stable. ‘The problem was we weren’t sure if there was going to be another earthquake, and we weren’t sure if it was going to continue to slide – that’s why we delayed going in. It wasn’t because we didn’t want to.’

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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