It was one of the more unusual calls the California Highway Patrol has received: Someone reported seeing a cow trying to climb out of a small car parked alongside an interstate.
Officers responding Saturday along a mountain pass in Southern California’s Riverside County discovered a calf trying to escape from a Honda Civic’s open trunk.
Another calf was crammed into the floor of the backseat. Both calves’ hooves were tied.
Investigators say the driver was nowhere to be found. The car is registered to an address in Tulare County, more than 250 miles away.
Authorities said Monday that the vehicle had not been reported stolen. It’s been impounded as evidence.
The calves will be cared for at a ranch while officials try to determine who owns them.
This March 4, 2017 photo provided by the California Highway Patrol San Gorgonio Pass shows CHP Officers Scott Beauchene, left, and Aaron Pollya, right with cows they found a Honda Civic along the side of an interstate highway in Baumont, Calif. (CHP-San Gorgonio Pass via AP )
The Associated Press contributed to this article.