This is not your typical traffic jam, as the picture shows. And certainly not what to expect in Germany, where Autobahn traffic barely slows for anything. But, for 9 hours on Monday, traffic was blocked by a herd of water buffalo.
The animals, who had escaped their nearby pasture and wandered onto the highway during the evening appeared relatively unfazed by all the fuss around them as they wandered between cars or just stood in a group waiting for something to happen. As far as they were concerned, apparently, the only problem was that one snagged himself on a guard rail and had to be freed.
All efforts to, well, herd them off the road failed; the problem was only solved when veterinarians from the Cologne zoo showed up to tranquilize them. A crane was called to lift them, one by one, in slings and deposit them back on the right side of the fence.
