A bull which made a bid for freedom at the village of Westendorp in the Achterhoek on Monday foiled police’s attempts at catching it for 24 hours before it returned to its stable of its own accord.

The bull was not alone when it escaped but its two companions were quickly caught, local broadcaster Omroep Gelderland reported. The biggest and reportedly most dangerous bull vaulted the bonnet of a car parked to stop it in its tracks and made off, causing a panic in the village.

Police issued a Burgernet alarm to warn people and to ask them to report the animal’s whereabouts and flew a drone over the surrounding countryside. None of their efforts led to the capture of the bull, which was found to have ambled back to its stable the next morning.

‘We have no idea where it has been all this time but we have not heard of anyone getting hurt. So all’s well that ends well,’ a police spokeswoman told the broadcaster.