A cow on the loose in Queens, New York was captured Thursday afternoon after frolicking for nearly two hours on the city's streets.
Yes, you heard right! Cow on the loose-Jamaica Queens.All Officers safe.No injuries.Thank you all for your patience.
The cow escaped Archer Live Poultry & Meat Market in the Jamaica neighborhood as employees unloaded cattle off a truck ushering them toward their looming slaughter.
It was initially spotted at around 12:45 p.m. at 164th Street and Jamaica Avenue, according to New York police spokeswoman Sophia Mason. It then led officers on a chaotic chase around the neighborhood.
NYC: Video of a cow running around in Queens earlier today on 164 St and Jamaica Ave.
Officers eventually caught up with the cow in a parking garage across the street from the poultry market. The market owners then placed a rope around the cow's neck and loaded it onto a trailer, according to Mason.
It was returned at around 1:30 p.m.
News that the cow was on its way to be slaughtered on Friday had many people outraged.
They better not kill that runaway cow now clearly it's meant for better things besides being a burger
I hope they didn't kill that cow....she deserves to live
@fox5ny @DariAlexander @FarmSanctuary we need to go free/save that cow!!!! Where's the go fund me page??????? #RespectTheCow
@BilldeBlasio needs to pardon the cow from Queens today. The cow doesn't want to die. Let the cow live! #NYC
While people raged on about the cow's impending death, animal rights advocates worked with the slaughterhouse to negotiate the cow's freedom, said Mike Stura, owner of Skylands Animal Sanctuary in New Jersey, to the Daily Dot.
The negotiations appeared bleak after 12 hours of discussion between Stura and the family that owns the "live-kill" business, which allows customers to walk into the store and pick an animal it would like to be slaughtered for meat.
Stura told The Daily Dot that he suspected the slaughterhouse owner felt pressured by the media coverage of the cow's escape and the public's support of its freedom.