Cows are one of the most-consumed animals in the world, and it’s no secret that many of them are fated to end up as steak. So it was no surprise that when one group of cows saw their chance at freedom, they took it, fleeing from the slaughterhouse.
But while the break-out was short-lived for most of these cows, one has been spared from the dinner plate, thanks to the kindness of one major music star.
The city of Pico Rivera, California made headlines recently after a herd of 40 cows escaped from a meatpacking plant, running free through a neighborhood for over an hour.
It was an unusual, chaotic scene. According to CBS Los Angeles, the cows’ “stampede” left hoof prints and busted fences in the suburban cul-de-sac.
One family of four sustained minor injuries after a cow charged at them. The cow was then shot by a sheriff’s deputy.
But many were sympathetic to the cows’ freedom run. “Cows are very empathic, very social creatures. They’re very intelligent,” David Rosengard, managing attorney at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, told the LA Times.
“I would imagine they were probably pretty scared when they were running around that neighborhood…. They had no idea where they were or what was happening.”
The story went viral, and many people online said the cows should be spared, sympathizing with their flee from slaughter. Deputies rounded up the cattle, and it seemed they would be headed back to the plant.
“These cows’ desperate bid for freedom should have been recognized by moving them to a sanctuary, where they could have bonded with other rescued cows, nursed their calves in peace, and lived out their lives just as you and I hope to do,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said, according to ABC 7.
But a lone cow managed to avoid capture longer than the others. Days after the incident, the cow was found five miles away from the neighborhood, and was rounded up into a trailer.
However, an unexpected savior stepped up to save this last cow: famed pop songwriter Diane Warren.
Warren has been called “the most important songwriter in the world,” the songwriter behind hit ballads like “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” “How Do I Live” and Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing.”
Now you can add “cow savior” to her list of credits. Warren, an animal lover, stepped up to save the runaway bovine, arranging to have her brought to a farm sanctuary.
“Cows are very smart, empathetic animals. I mean, they knew there was a door open,” Warren said, according to AP. “This morning, I woke up and I saw there was one cow that hadn’t been caught yet — and they’re trying to catch her and getting close to her. I saw her crying out and I couldn’t unsee that.”
“This isn’t my first cow I’ve saved. But this feels like a special cow. Because this was that one. So it’s almost like she represents all cows wanting to be free.”
She said the cow would be named “Free.” It isn’t clear what will happen to the other 38 cows who escaped but were rounded up by authorities, but animal activists are trying to help them get freedom as well, and are working with city officials to strike a deal.
“There were a number of other sanctuaries who wanted to accept not only this cow, but the others that were roaming through our residential streets,” Pico Rivera City Manager Steven Carmona told KTLA. “And we’re going to continue to facilitate that dialogue with Manning Beef.”
“The cows want to live just as much as any individual and we have found beautiful homes for several of them,” Ellen Dent of the Animal Alliance Network said in a statement. “We are ready and willing to take them away from certain death.”
We’re so glad this cow is safe and won’t be heading back to the slaughterhouse. We hope the other cows get spared too!
Thank you to Diane Warren for saving this cow! Share this great news!
