Cows Swept Off Coast During Hurricane Dorian Survive 'Gilligan's Island'-Style

The cows managed to swim five miles to a barrier island where they lived off the land.
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Three cows who were swept off the coast during Hurricane Dorian managed to miraculously survive in a manner perfect for a bovine-centered reboot of “Gilligan’s Island.”

The cows in question were part of a wild herd of 20 cows that roamed private land on Cedar Island, North Carolina, according to The Charlotte Observer.

When Dorian hit the area on Sept. 6, a lot of the wildlife swept off the island, including 28 wild horses.

The trio of cows were among those presumed dead — until recently, when they were all discovered living in the Cape Lookout National Seashore Park on the Outer Banks.

Cows on Cedar Island in North Carolina prior to Hurricane Dorian, as photographed by Paula O'Malley.
Cows on Cedar Island in North Carolina prior to Hurricane Dorian, as photographed by Paula O'Malley.
Paula O'Malley

“It’s a tremendous story of how they made it,” park spokesman B.G. Horvat told The New York Times. “If the cows could talk, imagine the story they can tell you of enduring that rush of water.”

He added: “That must be incredible.”

It seems the castaway cows managed to swim five miles to a barrier island, where they then survived by grazing off the land, according to the BBC.

Park staff noticed the first cow about a month after the storm. The others revealed themselves with the last two weeks.

Now the National Park Service is determining the best way to return the cows to their home, but the frontrunner seems to be sedating them and taking them back to Cedar Island on a boat, according to The Washington Post.

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Hurricane Dorian Destruction

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