Cow that escaped slaughterhouse has been rescued, renamed Freddie Mercury
The daring cow that was captured by police after breaking free from a New York City slaughterhouse has been rescued by an animal sanctuary and renamed after rock legend Freddie Mercury.
A video showed the brown and white cow hoofing it past shops and restaurants on Thursday afternoon. He was eventually captured and returned to his home at Archer Halal Live Poultry and Meat Market.
The video of his brief escape quickly circulated on social media, bringing the case to the attention of animal rights advocate Mike Stura.
See also: Cow in Queens briefly tastes freedom
As the founder of Skylands Animal Sanctuary, Stura is a cow lover who couldn't stand to see another one bite the dust.
Stura wasn't alone. According to the New York Daily News, members of animal rescue group PETA held a protest outside the slaughterhouse late Thursday, and a petition to spare the cow appeared on Change.org.
Feeling under pressure, the bovine's owners on Friday relented and allowed Stura to take the cow back to Skylands, where he'll be in the company of 18 other cows and a variety of farm animals. Freddie's execution date had been scheduled for that very day.
Instead, the cow lived like a rock star on his execution date, riding through rush-hour traffic, visiting a vet and arriving at the farm with Stura by his side.
The bovine's new forever home already houses 18 other cows and a variety of farm animals, so ol' Freddie is sure to find himself somebody to love in no time.
Stura says he's looking forward to the cow living a long "life of leisure."
