Canada’s Agriculture and Food Museum says all of its cattle are accounted for as Ottawa police investigate an udderly mystifying case of stolen calves that became the subject of social media speculation over the weekend.
The Ottawa Police Service says it was called to the area of Wellington Street West and Holland Avenue for reports of a “suspicious incident” involving a vehicle.
After the vehicle was located, police found three calves and a dog inside.
The animals are now being held under protective care.
Police investigated reports that the animals came from the Agriculture and Food Museum after a Reddit user who witnessed the ongoing police investigation claimed the calves had been stolen from the Experimental Farm.
A thread to the r/Ottawa subreddit page that has hundreds of impressions had users intrigued by the mystery, with many milking their best cow-related puns.
“The police sure horned in on that rustler,” said one user.
“It sounds like a load of bull if you ask me,” said another
“He better steer clear of Ottawa from now on,” said another.
A spokesperson for Ingenium told CTV Ottawa in an email that its farm operations were notified of the online claim and “immediately confirmed” that all cattle at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum were accounted for.
“There were no police operations involving the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum and/or the animals in our care on over the weekend,” Ingenium said.
Ottawa Bylaw and Regulatory Services director Roger Chapman confirmed the city received a request for protective care from the Ottawa Police Service on Saturday.
“As it stands, the calves are being held under protective care, in accordance with the Animal Care and Control Bylaw. The Bylaw allows five days for the rightful owner to retrieve their animals,” Chapman said.
“The City is temporarily housing the calves due to an ongoing police investigation.”
Neither the Ottawa Police Service nor Bylaw Services would provide further details, citing an ongoing police investigation.
It remains unclear where the cattle were stolen from or if police arrested any cattle rustlers.