‘Sea Calf’ Born To Cow That Swam To Shore After Hurricane

Beaufort, NC (AP) — A pregnant cow who swam 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) to shore after being swept away by Hurricane Dorian in September has given birth to a “miracle” calf.

A photo of the “sea calf” was posted Monday on Facebook by Ranch Solutions, a group hired to return the pregnant cow back home to North Carolina’s Cedar Island, 350 miles (560 kilometers) east of Charlotte. The cow, Dori, was one of three swept away by Dorian that were found in the state’s Outer Banks, The Charlotte Observer reported.

The calf has one brown and one blue eye, Ranch Solutions said. Having differently colored eyes is a rare condition shared by various animals, including some wild horses.

Getting close to the mother and calf for a photo has been difficult, because they run at the sight of humans, Cedar Island resident Woody Hancock told McClatchy News group. “The wild cattle that lived on Cedar Island were not used to seeing humans or having them approach them,” the state’s National Park Service said.

When Hurricane Dorian generated an 8-foot (2-meter) “mini tsunami,” it washed the calf’s mother and dozens of other animals away, including 28 wild horses that died.