Five yaks escaped from an Ohio ranch Monday and interrupted a middle school’s lunch period.
The animals roamed about a mile from Hidden Nook Ranch near Lewistown before sixth-grade teachers at Indian Lake Middle School spotted them grazing on the south lawn around noon, the Peak of Ohio reported. The Asian mountain bovines chewed grass along County Road 91 while students ate inside. (RELATED: ‘Bring The Rope!’: Watch Deputies Attempt To Catch Boar After It Goes ‘Hog-Wild’ In Home)
School officials alerted local authorities, and Indian Lake Schools later posted on Instagram calling the animals “rogue yaks.”
Logan County deputies and ranch staff tried to corral the herd, but their first attempt to load the yaks into a trailer didn’t work.
“The yaks preferred to stay in the yard,” the school wrote on Instagram.
Facilities directors Matt Hurley and Dustin Plikerd hauled out gates from school property to help deputies and ranch staff funnel the animals into a trailer, UPI reported. Administrators closed exits and kept students away from the roundup, though some were outside for recess.
No one was hurt, and the yaks were returned to Hidden Nook Ranch later that afternoon.
Domesticated in Central Asia for thousands of years, yaks can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and are raised for meat, milk and fiber. Though escapes are rare, they can be difficult to control once loose.