Cincinnati's infamous fugitive cow eluded would-be captors for a 10th straight day Sunday, an achievement that has started to attract national media attention.

        As two live “decoy” cows chewed their cud but failed to lure the slaughterhouse escapee from the woods of Mount Storm Park in Clifton, a crew from Good Morning America interviewed Cincinnati police spokesman Lt. Kurt Byrd in front of the pen.

        The crew also roamed briefly through the woods to gather film clips, to the annoyance of two Hamilton County SPCA officers who already have spent two chilly nights in the park hoping to catch the cow with a tranquilizer dart and were facing spending a third.

        The Good Morning America segment on the cow escapade could air Tuesday or Wednesday, crew members said.

        “She's certainly smarter than most of our criminals,” Lt. Byrd said.

        The cream-and-brown bovine was spotted again Saturday night standing just inside the wood line near the pen with decoy cows, Hamilton County SPCA General Manager Harold Dates said. But she was too far away to draw out or dart with a tranquilizer.

        As the cow continues to evade authorities, it has taken on a rebel, folk hero status that has cast a lighthearted spotlight on Cincinnati, which has seen its share of troubles in the past year.

        “This cow is having a ball down there and is taking our minds off all the silly stuff going on in the city,” said Barbara Haggerty, 62, of Pleasant Ridge, as she hoofed it into the park Sunday hoping to spy the bovine.cow. “Maybe it will bring us all closer.”

        When — or if — the cow is collared, the SPCA most likely will decide where she goes, said Mr. Dates. So far, he has received one official request for her from a sanctuary in California that offered a refuge of 4,000 acres.

        Former Reds owner Marge Schott and Roger Bingham of Crittenden, who competed on Survivor last year, have publicly offered to take the cow.

        Mayor Charlie Luken has pledged a key to the city and Fifth Third Bank officials have said they will pay to transport the cow after she is caught.

        Meanwhile, Mr. Dates and another SPCA officer, Sgt. Todd Manzer, have been pulling most of the overtime duty on the cow hunt. While Mr. Dates said he didn't have a dollar amount figured out yet, he compared the amount of time spent so far the assistance the SPCA provided during the 1997 floods and the 1998 tornado.

        “This ranks right up there in man hours,” Mr. Dates said. “They don't pay me overtime, but Sgt. Manzer is being paid overtime. I've given him some time off during the day. He can't stay on this constantly.”

        Perhaps the cow is being so skittish because in all of her seven years, she has only come in human contact about once each year — for pregnancy examinations, Lt. Byrd said. Such exams are not pleasant experiences for cows, he said.

        “That's pretty traumatic,” he said. “She has no love for humans grabbing a hold of her.”

30 years of undermining neighborhoods
'Strangler' makes bid for freedom
Big donors wary of try at reform
Plan would trump local gun laws
Projects help motivate Northwest students
Sick child pays price
Ambulances lacking top rescue tools
Butler goes fiber-optic
Enquirer wins eight Ohio top-photo awards
Film crew from GMA tails cow
Health plan, state seek to aid smokers
Jail inmate indicted in police officer shooting
Musical variety brings fame
Proposal could curb consequences of mail schemes
Tax levy watchdog may need second opinion
Thousands of cat lovers converge at convention
Tristate A.M. Report
Road numbers odd mix
Some Good News