NEW ULM — After trying to round up a large, wayward cow for more than an hour Sunday afternoon, New Ulm Police shot it to death. They came to an agreement with its owner that it was a threat to public safety.

Police officer Aaron Lewandowski said the animal fell out of a trailer near 20th Street North (U.S. Highway 14) and was roaming neighborhoods near North Park. Police were called to the scene at 3:29 p.m.

“We got called on it right away. Somebody saw it. The owner was there trying to catch it,” Lewandowski said. “It was quite wild. We had four police officers and a sheriff’s deputy. We tried to get in into the trailer but we couldn’t get close to it.”

Lewandowski said he and the owner of the cow agreed to shoot it.

“There were lots of kids at North Park but fortunately, the cow didn’t go there,” he said. “It crossed Jefferson Street a couple times.”