A dozen runaway cows broke from their enclosure and ended up on the beach and golf course at St Regis hotel on Monday.

Photographs and videos have emerged on social media of the cattle bathing in the crystal clear waters of St Catherine’s Beach and meandering on the putting green at Five Forts Golf Club in St George’s.

The cows’ owner Paul Almeida of Green Land Dairy Ltd/Almeida Dairy Farm said they had pushed through the wire gate and presumably made the five-minute walk from the farm using the public highways.

Mr Almeida said: “They went on the road and the passing cars may have scared them towards the hotel – they usually stay close to the farm.

“Someone called me – a friend of mine – to let me know. It doesn’t usually happen but if they get too close to the wire and if one cow hits another cow and there’s too much pressure it will break. There’s not much you can do about it.”

He reassured anyone who might encounter his cows on the loose that they were not aggressive. He added: “The traffic doesn’t go that fast.”

Mr Almeida said his cows had escaped before ending up in the ocean in St George’s and at Spittal Pond Nature Reserve in Smith’s Parish, where he also has cattle.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources did not respond to questions by press time.