A lonely cow stranded on an island for two years following devastating floods has now been joined by a bull – but nobody knows how he got there.
The brown cow was spotted on Chinderah Island, about 16km south of Tweed heads in northern NSW after major flooding wreaked havoc on the region in February 2022.
It is suspected the animal wash swept away in the flood and became marooned on the island.
Local fisherman Nathan Hall was the first to notice the animal stranded on the five hectare island two weeks after the floods hit.
Mr Hall who has been keeping a watchful eye over the cow ever since was stunned when he recently found a black bull on the island keeping Bessie company.
‘I have stopped in and visited [the cow] over the time until now, but then seeing the black bull a few days ago was a bit of a shock to me,’ he told the ABC.
A lonely cow stranded on an island for two years following devastating floods has now been joined by a bull – but nobody knows how he got there
He has been delivering water for the the cow over the past six months but was taken aback by the unusual sighting of the bull.
‘I’ve got three 20-litre drums, and every time I go down that way in the boat, I stop and pour 60 litres of water into a half-drum tin we’ve got down there,’ he said.
No one knows where the cattle came from and the animals have not been claimed by anyone so far.
Mr Hall said he saw the pair drinking water from the nearby Tweed River when he visited the island recently and said they both looked to be in good shape.
‘They came within six feet of the boat like they wanted to hop in with me.’
Chinderah Island (pictured) is near the Tweed River with the cattle stranded on the island yet to be claimed by an owner
The cow (pictured) was left stranded on Chinderah Island near Tweed heads in northern NSW after major flooding struck the region in February 2022
Residents expressed their concerns over the two animals prompting rangers from the local council and the RSPCA to visit the island to check in on the pair.
‘Council Rangers and an RSPCA officer attended the island this week and conducted visual welfare checks on the two cattle,’ a Tweed Shire Council ranger said.
‘The availability of suitable water, feed and shade has been confirmed.’
Local farmers have expressed interest in getting the animals off the island and out into the mainland.
Mr Hall said he could cattle could be moved out of the spot in about a week when there is less water.
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