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A cow on her way to slaughter jumped off a double-deck transport truck Thursday morning, according to Mike Stura, founder of Skylands Animal Sanctuary.
Almost all on-duty officers responded to the call that an injured cow was running across Route 80 in New Jersey after she “kicked open the door of the trailer she was in and jumped onto the highway from the upper level.”
Stura rushed to the scene and took the escapee to a veterinarian. Newly named Brianna, the cow will spend the rest of her life in peace at Stura’s sanctuary in New Jersey.
In August, Stura drove to North Carolina to rescue animals affected by Hurricane Florence. After he’d spent days helping animals and people in the area, locals helped him rescue a cow named Red who had been swimming through floodwaters for days.![]()
The fact is, animals will do anything to survive. Just this month, a truck carrying calves to slaughter accidentally dumped animals onto freeways in three different states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Although several animals died from impact and others were picked up and sent to slaughter, three calves found refuge at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York.
Last winter, a cow named Bonnie heard the desperate cries of her family as they were rounded up to be auctioned, and one day when the farmers were busy loading a trailer, Bonnie seized the moment and escaped into the nearby forest. She lived and ate with a family of deer before finding her home at a sanctuary.
Earlier this year, a bull in Maine escaped from a trailer en route to a slaughterhouse. Tragically, police shot and killed the poor animal. Similarly, a cow in Poland rammed through a metal fence, breaking a worker’s arm, and swam across a lake to avoid being killed.
While some animals enjoy life at sanctuaries, where they’re free and cared for, they’re the lucky few. Many farmed animals desperately try to escape their cruel fates each year, but most are forced to return to the terrible system they tried to flee.
Like the dogs and cats we know and love, pigs, cows, chickens, and other farmed animals are sensitive and intelligent, and they will fight for their lives.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: No animal wants to die to become food.
If you found yourself rooting for Brianna, but you’re still eating animal products, the good news is that it’s never too late to align your food choices with your values.
You can choose compassion by leaving cows and all other animals off your plate and switching to a vegan lifestyle. Click here to get your free Vegetarian Starter Guide today. And check out our Pinterest page for thousands of recipe ideas.