A runaway cow was rescued after it was found half-buried in a dried-out field in Thailand.

The fugitive bovine was discovered by Tanwathepmontri Teewarawong, 44, when he stopped on the roadside in Sukhothai province on March 10.

The motorist heard an unusual loud moo coming from the nearby muddy field.

He went to check and saw the farm animal trapped in the cracked, parched earth. He first tried to free the cow himself by digging using his hands.

Failing that, he called a rescue team to save the hapless creature.

Volunteers arrived in the evening and tied ropes around the cow before using a tractor to haul it free.

The cow appeared weak, exhausted, and hungry after being trapped in the mud for nearly a week.

Villagers searched for its owner, and traced it to Police Lieutenant Colonel Chuchai Chamrassri, 59, of the Sukhothai Provincial Police.

Chuchai said that he was raising two cows in front of the Sukhothai Provincial Public Prosecutor Office.

The female cow, Nam Daeng, was around 2-3 years old and had disappeared for around seven days.

Chuchai searched for her every day in other herds because he thought that she had joined them to graze.

He added that Nam Daeng has previously escaped once before, and was found after travelling six kilometres.