Monday, October 23, 2000

by Philip Nettleton

A rampaging cow was shot dead by police last night after it damaged cars and crashed through a police road block.

Officers from two counties were called in to catch the animal after it went on a wrecking spree along rural roads near Spencer's Wood, Reading, Berkshire.

Police said they did everything to restrain the animal but had no option but to shoot it as it posed a threat to the community.

Inspector Melvyn Kendall said: "It ran through hedges and the more injured it got the more excited it became. Three quarters of a ton of beef on the loose is not a good idea."

The operation involved officers from the Thames Valley and Hampshire forces, who were joined by members of the public.

The cow, which had escaped from a field outside Reading, rammed its way through the road blocks, damaging police vehicles.

It was eventually cornered in the Brownshill area where it was shot at 10.50 last night.

Inspector Kendall added: "All possible options were considered to resolve the situation without harming the cow but finally it was thought to be too dangerous to deal with it in any other way.

"Why did it go on the rampage? Who's to say what goes through a cow's mind - it just had a mad moment. Frequently they get in a state when they are about to go to an abattoir to be slaughtered but this one was nowhere near an abattoir.

"It rammed into a couple of police cars and injured itself even more. It was shot before anyone got hurt."

© Associated Newspapers Ltd.

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