A pregnant cow was shot dead on Thursday on a highway in the Netherlands. Because officials couldn’t catch the cow, they decided to kill her.
The cow escaped from a farm early on Thursday morning, according to local media. Traffic was stopped when she was spotted walking on the road between Weert and Roermond.
Local media reported that police decided to kill the animal after she knocked over a woman who was trying to stop the her.
Dutch animal welfare organization Eyes on Animals was appaled by the decision to kill the pregnant cow. “Insane images of an innocent, calm cow being shot and killed in cold blood. Murdered! What a country!” they said on Twitter.
They wondered why a professional wasn’t called in to calm the animal, adding that “the only goal was to clear the road as soon as possible”.
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