A runaway cow leapedinto the sea before her owner jumpe in to catch her.

The one-year-old calf had been on a truck about to board the vessel to cross to another part of Koh Lanta island in Krabi, southern Thailand.

However, the plucky bovine broke free and made a leap for freedom straight into the choppy waters.

Dashcam footage from a driver about to board the crossing ship captured the female calf plunging into the ocean as it tried to swim away.

Moments later the exasperated owner chased after his farm animal before diving fully-clothed into the water to catch her.

Shocked locals watched as the farmer swam after the animal before pulling it towards the boat. Passengers then threw a rope down, which was attached around the animal's withers to guide her back to dry land.

The farmer's son, Nathaphon, 27, said they had just bought the calf and were taking her back to their home for producing milk and breeding when she suddenly bolted.

He said: ''The calf must have panicked because the place is unfamiliar for her. I don't think she had been on a boat before, so she could have been scared of that.''

The calf was calmed down and later ushered back onto the boat. They made the crossing successfully the next day.