The cows became an Internet sensation after becoming trapped on a small grassy island by landslides near Kaikoura, one of the areas worst affected by the earthquake. The owner of the cows told New Zealand news service Newshub that he and a group of others had rescued two cows and a calf by digging a track to the quake island with picks and shovels. The farmer said the cows were part of a larger group of 14 rescued animals from the property. Newshub camera operator Chris Jones, who filmed the cows from a helicopter, said the animals had obviously ridden the island down the landslide. The farmer said the cows had been lucky to survive after the entire hillside collapsed.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 15, 2016 02:17 UTC