Thieves moooove cow statue from Florida restaurant

A cow statue at a Florida restaurant wandered away Saturday -- or, to be precise, it was moooved.

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, a thief rustled a plastic statue of a black-and-white cow from Harold Seltzers Steakhouse in St. Petersburg. The statue, which was 12 feet long and 3 feet high, was stolen in broad daylight, police said.

The bovine has been grazing outside the restaurant since it opened in the mid-1990s. The Tampa Bay Times reported.

The owners of the restaurant are asking for the statue’s return.

"She's not wearing a collar and is very friendly," the restaurant posted on Facebook.

According to the St. Petersburg police, the restaurant owners are offering a free meal in exchange for the cow's safe return, BayNews 9 reported. They said the cow had sentimental value, police said.

Harold Seltzer, the restaurant's owner, said the cow had been loosened from its moorings recently when an overeager customer climbed aboard the statue for a photo opportunity, the Times reported. It had not been cemented back into the ground, according to the newspaper.

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Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

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