A celebrated cow who escaped from a slaughterhouse and swam to a deserted island has died after finally being captured.
The heroic red Limousin cow gained celebrity status after going on the run on January 23 before repeatedly evading searchers by swimming between islands in a lake in southern Poland.
Her bold escape made headlines around the world after she rammed a metal fence and left a farm worker with a broken arm and bruised ribs in the pursuit of freedom.
The animal’s cause has now been taken up by local politician and former singer, Pawel Kukiz, who has offered to save the ‘hero cow’ from death, and posted this picture online
Wiadomosci reported that after breaking free, she dove underwater and swam towards an island in Lake Nysa.
But now her valiant bid for liberty has come to an end after she was finally captured.
Bartosz Bukala, a spokesman for Nysa authorities, said today the cow died while being transported back to her farm in a lorry.
When the slaughterhouse workers initially arrived to take the cow away on January 23, they were told it would be best to tranquilise her.
But they ignored the advice and, as she came out of her shed to be loaded onto the lorry, she charged the fence.
After a week of trying and failing to get the cow back, the farmer who owned her – known only as Mr Lukasz – gave up the hunt and instead made sure she was fed enough food to stay alive.
‘I am not a vegetarian, but fortitude and the will to fight for this cow’s life is invaluable’: Pawel Kukiz praised the animal’s ‘fortitude’ and shared this image on Facebook
When firefighters later used a boat to get to the island, the cow swam about 50 metres to a neighbouring peninsula.
Pawel Gotowski, deputy commander of the fire brigade in Nysa, said the cow was very frightened and it was impossible to get more than 70 metres near to the animal.
A vet called in to tranquilise the cow told Mr Lukasz he had run out of gas cartridges, and that it would take several days to get new ones.
The farmer was reluctant to shoot the cow because that would mean losing the income for her sale.
The animal’s cause was previously taken up by local politician and former singer Pawel Kukiz, who offered to save the ‘hero cow’ from death.
He said ‘if all citizens [showed] such determination as this cow’ then Poland would be a much more prosperous country.
‘I am not a vegetarian, but fortitude and the will to fight for this cow’s life is invaluable.
‘Therefore, I decided to do everything to cause the cow to be delivered to a safe place and in the second stage, as a reward for her attitude, give her a guarantee of a long-term retirement and natural death.’