HAPCHEON, June 29 (Korea Bizwire) — A heifer, approximately 50 months old, has garnered attention after escaping from an auction and being discovered 11 days later. The owner of the cow has declared that she will not be put up for auction again but will be retained.
The escape took place on the 15th of this month at the Gyeongnam Hapcheon Livestock Cooperative’s parking lot, where the cow had been transported to participate in the auction. During the removal of the halter, which was attached to the cow’s mouth, the 500-kilogram heifer swiftly bolted away, still carrying the approximately 7-meter-long halter.
Efforts were made by two cooperative officials to capture the cow at the entrance of the parking lot, but it proved too swift to be apprehended. The cow was originally intended to undergo weighing, health assessment, and pregnancy examination prior to the auction.
Upon the cow’s escape, the cooperative officials promptly contacted the fire department, leading to the mobilization of the police and nearby military units in search of the runaway heifer. An official from the Hapcheon Livestock Cooperative remarked, “Normally, a cow would halt when encountering a person in its path, but this particular cow charged forward. It fled with the swiftness of a racehorse.”
After an interval of eleven days, the cow was eventually discovered in a pond adjacent to a road, roughly three kilometers away from the auction site, leisurely grazing at the time. Following a successful rescue operation, the cow opted to return to her barn instead of heading back to the auction center.
Considering the imminent auction, the cooperative provided the cow with additional nutritional supplements, including immune boosters, and a month’s supply of feed. An official from the cooperative stated, “Cows are aware that being relocated to an unfamiliar place typically indicates an impending sale, and we sincerely hope they maintain good health going forward.”
Image credit: Gyeongnam Hapcheon Livestock Cooperative / photonews@koreabizwire.com
