Pregnant cow swam 75km after Cyclone Debbie and survived

A pregnant cow swam a double marathon in the aftermath of Australian Cyclone Debbie and scrambled ashore just before the river opened up into the mouth of the South Pacific Ocean.

The six-months pregnant Angus-cross bovine was one of a thirty-strong herd based in Gundurimba, East Lismore, that was swept away by floods during Cyclone Debbie.

Three days and around 75km later she washed up at a property in Pimlico, near Ballina. Both the cow and her calf are reported to be in good condition.

Her owner Tony Ivey told ABC News: "Unbelievable. That is a long time in the water, days and days. It's just unreal.

"The young fella that was trying to catch it, he knew my ear tag and he rang me and said I found one of your cows'

"And I said 'I've found one too, down at Ruthven', and he said 'I can beat that, down at Pimlico', unbelievable."

The "young fella" he was talking to was livestock carrier Wayne Bruggy. Bruggy had been called to collect the cow after it clambered onto a property near the coast.

The cow's electronic identifier was not working but Bruggy recognised her yellow ear tag as belonging to Ivey's herd. "I thought no, it could not be from there, no way. But turns out it was," he said.

John Stead and his wife were the bemused owners who called Bruggy after the cow landed outside their house in Pimlico on Sunday (2 April). They said they had nicknamed the animal Debbie after the cyclone that triggered her adventure.

"We do have a jetty and angled ramp where she could scramble and get a foothold, so that's how she scrambled up here," said Stead, adding: "Most of the way it is all mangroves she wouldn't be able to get out of."

Ivey, who has now recovered five of his A$50,000 (£30,000, $38,000) herd of cattle paid tribute to their survival skills. "They were all in really good condition, the ones that have swum and got out of the water. They were in good nick and I think that's the reason why they have survived," he said.