Hero Cow Dies in Hail of Bullets After Fleeing Slaughter, Goring Jogger
Months after an escaped steer was shot and killed in the streets of Baltimore, another freedom-seeking bovine died a hero's death in Germany. The cow, later nicknamed Bavaria, fled a Munich slaughterhouse Tuesday and went on a wild rampage through the city, leading police on a high-speed chase towards Oktoberfest and goring a jogger before finally being put down.
The 28-year-old jogger suffered "massive injuries" after being struck in the back by the 1,200 pound animal. "Luckily her life is not in danger," a police spokesperson told the Local. "She will have to spend some time being treated in the hospital."
The determined bovine wasn't finished with her rampage, though. "The cow then tried to attack another person and was luckily blocked by a police vehicle, which eventually got damaged by the impact," police spokesman Carsten Neubert told NBC News.
Finally, after an hour-long chase, police shot the cow, first with their sidearms, which proved ineffective, and then fatally with a rifle. "Unfortunately there was no other way to stop the cow," the police spokesman told the Local. "We had to stop the danger to the public."
The official police explanation wasn't enough for animal rights activists, who set up a memorial, complete with notes and stuffed animals, at the scene of the cow's death.
"Here died the cow 'Bavaria'," one note read, according to the Local. "She wanted to live and fled the abattoir. She died here under a hail of bullets! Let her henceforth be a symbol for our striving for freedom."
RIP, hero cow.
[Image via AP]