Two cows escaped from their trailer en route to the slaughterhouse Tuesday afternoon, blocking traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway in Saanich, B.C., until police could lasso them.

“The cows have been leading us on a wild chase here,” said Cst. Mark Haggan of Westshore RCMP traffic services.

A trailer carrying five cows headed to the slaughterhouse in Duncan was pulled over on Highway 1 near McKenzie Avenue when somehow the latch came loose, said their owner.

“"Somebody honked when they were alongside me and I looked in the mirror and I see — there are cows on the road,” said Don Alberg.

He said a pin had been removed from the latch. “It wasn’t me,” he added.

‘It’s an angry cow’

Police rerouted traffic on Highway 1 while they tried to corral them, but it wasn’t easy.

“We don’t have the resources or equipment to corral a cow of this size," said Haggan. "If it wants to go one way it's going to go that way."

A Saanich police officer managed to “lasso” the first cow, he said. The second proved more difficult.

"I don't know if it's a he or she, but it's an angry cow," he said.

As “plan C,” a local vet was called in to tranquilize the second cow, said Haggan, but the owner and police managed to rope it too.

Police acknowledged that having such large animals on the loose could be harmful to themselves or people.

However, the Westshore RCMP twitter account also had some fun with the unusual call, tweeting, “We have our English-Cow translator on the way #moo.”