How a herd of cows helped North Carolina police capture a suspect on the run

Just call it bovine intervention.

A herd of cows helped a North Carolina police department corral a suspect on the run.

The partnership began when a 34-year-old man fled during a traffic stop, according to a Facebook post from the Boone Police Department.

He led police on a chase and then abandoned his vehicle before setting out on foot into an undeveloped area, says the Facebook post. Because of how quickly he was driving, officers couldn't see exactly where he fled, the post says.

Officers "received some unexpected, but welcomed assistance from some local cows," according to the department.

The herd of cows were behooved to lead officers "directly to where the suspect was hiding," says the post.

"The cows communicated with the officers as best they could and finally just had the officers follow them to the suspect's location," joked the department in the post.

The cows are privately owned and were in a large fenced area, the department told CNN in an email.

"Obviously, we want to express our gratitude to the cows for their assistance," the post went on. "This opens up all kinds of questions as to the bovines' role in crime fighting."

In response to the successful assist, the department proposed introducing a new "Bovine Tracking Unit." They thoughtfully pointed out that they would have to consider a variety of factors, including "how adaptable are cows to a variety of police work."

In the meantime the suspect has been charged with fleeing arrest with a motor vehicle, driving with a revoked license, and disorderly conduct, according to the Facebook post.