'Hero cow' escapes slaughterhouse fate by swimming to island

A cow in Poland that resisted its captors and opted for an island retirement has caught the attention of a local politician.

Defiant cow

The cow escaped to a nearby island. Source: Pawel Kukiz/Facebook

A cow in Poland has staged a daring escape during a trip to the local abattoir and caught the attention of a local politician.
 
The cow’s owner, named in reports as Mr Lukasz, was trying to load the animal into a slaughterhouse truck at his farm in south Poland when it broke free last month.
 
The animal smashed through a fence, breaking another farmer’s arm in the process, reported Polish news website Wiadomosci. It then fled, swimming to a nearby island on Lake Nysa where it continues to defy anyone who tries to retrieve it, according to local media.
 
Firefighters attempted to recapture the cow by boat, but only spurred the animal to swim another 50 metres to another island.  
 
The cow has been there since and Mr Lukasz has been making sure it has enough food.

The display of valour has been praised as a worthy model of resilience by the Polish people and even inspired a local politician.
 
On Wednesday, Pawel Kukiz offered to fund the animal’s right to a peaceful retirement, rather than see it be killed. He called the animal a “hero cow”.
 
“If all citizens could show such determination as this cow then Poland would be a much more prosperous country,” he said.
 
“I am not a vegetarian, but fortitude and the will to fight for this cow's life is invaluable.”


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2 min read

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By Yang Tian



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