A cow has managed to activate an emergency position-indicating radio beacon, setting in train a response from police in Australia's Northern Territory.
Monitors in Canberra detected the signal coming from an area north of the township of Adelaide River and alerted local police, who rushed to a paddock on Pell Station.
They could not see anything other than grazing cattle, but as daylight ebbed away, a flashing light on the beacon became visible.
Police said cattle had been eating in the area and must have activated the beacon by stomping on it.
Duty Superintendent Brendon Muldoon said anytime a device was activated, police threw "everything we've got at it".
Police said the beacon had fallen out of a helicopter.
