An injured buffalo was rescued after stumbling across a busy road and being hit by a car.

The three-year-old female buffalo's kneecap snapped after the pickup truck crashed into her in Samut Prakan, Thailand on October 5.

Owner Anusorn Sri-Saard said the animal, named Tevo, had escaped from her barn and wandered onto the busy road nearby.

He said: "Tevo had always been curious about things and leaves his siblings at home to go and wander, I hope she gets well soon."

Rescue volunteers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation rushed to the scene after the driver called them for assistance.

The uninjured driver, Nakorn Ratannatri, said he was startled when the buffalo jumped in front of his truck.

He said: "I was travelling home when I saw the buffalo. I didn't expect it to jump in front of my car. I tried hitting the brakes in time but it was too late."

They started to herd the buffalo back into the pavement because it was obstructing traffic, but it resisted due to stress and pain.

Rescuers used a lasso to pull her on the side and waited until the vets arrived on the scene.

The vets checked Tevo's injuries and found that a bone in her front limb's knee popped out so they decided to take the animal to the hospital.

They took X-ray scans of her body to make sure that internal organs were not injured and performed surgery on the kneecap which took almost three hours.

The sedated buffalo is now safe and recovering at the animal hospital before being returned to the owner.