Horses and ponies block highway in Upper Austria

According to a report in the news daily Heute, the seven animals, including two large horses, ponies and a donkey, had escaped from a nearby paddock, and stormed onto the highway.

Fire rescue services from Rutzenmoos were called out at 1:45 a.m.  

“We blocked the highway and captured the animals, which was not easy,” said volunteer firefighter Commander Josef Riedl.

The operation “round up” was completed around 4 a.m., with the animals safely relocated to a nearby car park building.

Later that morning, the animals were picked up by their owner.  The means of escape of the animals is still under investigation.