A 1,000-pound cow escaped from a meat processing facility by jumping a six-foot fence and racing through the town of Pocatello, Idaho, Friday, where it was eventually cornered by police and animal control.
The determined animal rammed an animal control truck and two police cars even after it was
shot by officers, the Idaho State Journal reported.
Pocatello Police Chief Scott Marchand said his officers were forced to shoot at the cow because it posed a safety risk. The animal was ultimately killed after the chase.
"The heifer also nearly caused motor vehicle accidents on Hawthorne Road and had run through a playground," the State Journal reported. "Police felt like the animal might trample someone as it charged through the residential neighborhoods on the city’s north side."
In a separate article, the Idaho State Journal reported Monday that two more cows escaped the Anderson Custom Pack meat processing facility on Monday. One was shot and killed by an Anderson employee in a residential neighborhood about a mile away from the plant, and the other was captured by Anderson employees and returned to the facility.
One person expressed concern on the State Journal article about the incidents: "I don't know why Andersons suddenly has so many escaping cows, but the shooting of these cows is worrisome. Bad enough when it's the police shooting the cow, but an employee of Andersons shooting in a residential area is definitely troubling."
The State Journal reported that animal control officers will investigate the Anderson facility because of the cow escapes.
In June, a cow escaped a Boston slaughterhouse and was shot and killed by
police there, according to the Daily Mail.
In Germany, another cow escaped in the same situation, heading for an Oktoberfest celebration in September, where it was
shot and killed by police, The Week reported.
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