A pregnant buffalo that was saved from a slaughterhouse gored its owner in Thailand.

The farm animal was being loaded onto a truck when it flew into a rampage and struck its caretaker Somkiat Thongdee, 59, in the neck in Trat province on March 24.

The buffalo broke from its restraints and stabbed veterinarian Noppakoon Nongnueang in the leg with its horns before escaping into a nearby forest as Somkiat lay bleeding from the wound.

Rescuers arrived and rushed both men to the Bo Rai Hospital, then set out to capture the rampaging beast.

Footage shows the party trekking through the woods to locate the animal. Upon spotting it around 100 metres from the main road, the officers sedated it with tranquiliser darts.

However, as night had fallen, they had to wait until the next morning to lead the buffalo down the treacherous mountain path.

Villager Samai Wongsomjean, 72, said he had been hired to drive the buffalo to the Bo Rai district. However, it went berserk when the veterinarian Noppakoon injected it with tranquilisers.

He said: 'The buffalo attacked its owner and the vet, but I was able to hide behind a tree. I waited for it to walk into the forest before calling the rescue team.'

Somkiat's son Thanomsak Thongdee, 34, said the buffalo had been saved from a slaughterhouse. However, its previous owners reportedly decided to sell it because of its violent tendencies.

The buffalo's previous caretaker Nin Boochaboon, 72, said: 'I was also injured by this pregnant buffalo. It escaped into a forest, while I was hospitalised for my wounds.'

Meanwhile, the veterinarian Noppakoon said that before the attack, the buffalo had been tied up all night and may have been enraged by the blistering weather.

Somkiat was still recovering in the hospital.