It was a real life rodeo in the northwest suburbs Thursday morning as a cow ran loose through a neighborhood after a senior prank at a high school in Niles before police were able to corral it.

Just before 3 a.m. Thursday, police responded to the 8300 block of Ballard on the report of suspicious people in the area.

Officers located several students from Northridge Preparatory School in the area and they were apparently conducting a “senior prank,” police said.

At some point, a live cow escaped from the group of students and went into a local neighborhood. Niles police and other authorities were working with Wagner Farms to secure the cow.

Just before 10 a.m., authorities reported the cow had been found and was taken to the Wagner Farm facility and will be transferred to Hooved Animals Humane Society in Woodstock.

In an update Thursday afternoon, police said the students also brought a pig and chickens to the school as part of the prank. The pig and the cow were purchased via Craigslist near Winneconne, Wisconsin and the chickens belonged to a student.

Police said the school is not pursuing criminal charges and the students face the following citations; curfew violation, disorderly conduct, animal feces accumulation and prohibited animal species.

Northridge Preparatory School released the following statement Thursday:

“This morning a prank went awry when a group of our seniors lost control of a cow they intended to put in a corral they built in front of the school….We apologize to the local community for any inconvenience this event may have caused and will work internally to find resolution and accountability.”

The students involved in the senior prank were seen knocking on doors in the area to apologize.

Police said the school is managing cleanup and the removal of the other animals within the school.