(KTLA) — After a slaughterhouse escape and a televised run through a suburban California neighborhood, one cow that managed to flee deputies earlier this week only to be caught Thursday is now being freed.
The cow, the only one that managed to get away when it and 39 others escaped from Manning Beef on Tuesday evening after a gate was accidentally left open, will be heading to Farm Sanctuary in Acton, California, with help from Grammy Award-winning songwriter Diane Warren.
The dramatic cattle escape Tuesday resulted in one of the cows being shot by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy after it charged at a family while officers were trying to contain the herd in a Pico Rivera neighborhood.
Leaving behind some damaged cars, fences and mailboxes, the standoff ended with the cattle being captured and loaded into trailers—all but one.
A day and a half later, that cow resurfaced in South El Monte, California, more than 2 miles away from where the herd was in a standoff with deputies. A struggle to lasso the cow ensued, with one man getting knocked down by the feisty animal before it was ultimately captured.
Just a few hours later, the city of Pico Rivera announced they had been in talks with the owner to buy the cow and take it to a sanctuary. Warren called the city to offer help finding a place for the cow to live out the rest of its life, City Manager Steve Carmona said in a news conference Thursday.
“Seeing these cows escaping their horrible fate broke my heart,” Warren said in a statement. “They knew what awaited them. These are smart, empathetic, beautiful souls. What Paul McCartney said is so true, if slaughterhouses had glass walls everyone would be a vegetarian.”
The cow going to Farm Sanctuary was temporarily returned to Manning Beef, where it will stay until it is cleared for release after being tested for diseases.
Pico Rivera city officials said they have received multiple calls from other sanctuaries that wanted to take in all the cows, and officials said they’re still discussing the matter with Manning Beef.
A group of activists is planning to hold a vigil for the escaped cows at 7 p.m. Friday in Pico Rivera, calling for the livestock to be surrendered so they can live the rest of their lives.