Herd of cows surprises Eagle Ranch residents
dfranz@eaglevalleyenterprise.com
EAGLE — About 60 cows joined Eagle Ranch residents for the morning commute Tuesday.
The herd wandered down neighborhood streets, made a bit of a mess and slowed traffic until they were rounded up by mid-afternoon.
“My husband was driving to a meeting and encountered a bunch of cattle coming down the street from Third Gulch Trail around 8:45 a.m.,” said Christy Rounds, who lives in the area on Aster Court. “The cows didn’t want to let him through. He called me and I packed up the kids to go see this.”
Rounds’ daughter, Gracie, leaned out the window and took a photo that the family sent to the Vail Daily.
Eagle Police Officer Ryan Toy said it’s not unusual to have loose cattle wander into the neighborhoods around the Eagle Pool & Ice Rink.
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“Usually it’s only one or two that get out,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve had that many.”
The officers responded to calls around 10 a.m. and got in touch with the people who owned the cattle.
“This was the first time we’ve dealt with those owners,” he said. “The cows got through a break in the fence that was near the very end of Fourth of July Road.”
Scott Marino operates a landscaping business in the area and checked properties for damage.
“There were a lot of cows just walking around, dropping patties on lawns, but nothing was really damaged,” he said. “One guy said they knocked over his landscaping lights. I think it was just more of a spectacle than anything.”