Four Canadian cows bound for the slaughterhouse made a dash for freedom on Friday in a suburb of Toronto. The four cows escaped after the truck carrying them overturned on a nearby highway.

The four escaped cows ran wild through a residential neighbourhood in Mississagua, Ontario. Police officers were trying to steer them back toward the cattle transportation van.

Local residents said they were initially alarmed by the heavy police presence in their area.

"What made me nervous was the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) cars had blocked us in and one was standing at my neighbours across the street with a shotgun. At first I'm thinking maybe there's a criminal or something, you know. That's the first thing you think, you don't think cows."

Police managed to get two cows into the van. But the two others went crazy and began running around the neighbourhood. Dave Woodford, a police officer of the Ontario Province, said the two cows posed a threat to the residents.

"Both of them, went crazy and one of them threw one of the farmers up against one of the fences."

Police then made the choice to shoot down the steer, firing nearly thirty bullets into the animal before it finally went down.

Shortly afterward, the fourth cow was caught and placed into the van along with the two others.

The three surviving cows were eventually transported to the slaughterhouse.