Updated April 28, 2018 14:29:20

A runaway ox left pedestrians and motorists utterly bewildered in south-west China's Yunnan Province, after the animal ditched its owner and took its cart for a high-speed city tour.

The ox's owner, an elderly villager surnamed Qi from Kunming City's Chenggong District, was thrown out of the cart when the apparently startled ox took off at speed, roaring its way up a busy city road.

Surveillance video footage captured the dramatic scenes of the out-of-control ox racing away on the road, outrunning buses and nearby cars.

Bemused locals looked on as it rocketed past a pedestrian crossing with its driverless cart in tow.

Police were soon alerted to the bizarre situation, and reported that the animal had set off on its frenzy after being frightened by the sound of a car horn.

"At the intersection of Caiyun Road and Chongyun Street, the ox cart was going so slowly that a driver behind couldn't help but sound his horn. The ox was startled and started to run," said Liu Yaxu, a local police officer.

The wild ox was finally stopped after running riot for nearly 2 kilometres, thanks to the efforts of local residents and the police, and ended up in a quiet lane where it was reunited with its disapproving owner.

Fortunately, no-one was hurt in Thursday's incident, although the cart's wheels did not survive the adventure.

APTN

Topics: human-interest, animals, china

First posted April 28, 2018 13:00:08