Major update on escaped cow rammed into twice by police car in footage that shocked nation
Brits were left shocked by footage of a police car ramming into an escaped cow in Surrey, with an update on the animal having since been issued.
At around 8:55pm on Friday (14 June), Surrey Police received reports that a cow was running loose in Staines-upon-Thames, and footage which has since gone viral showed a police car twice ramming into the animal.
The cow was a 10-month-old calf named Beau Lucy, and footage showed her being struck by a police car before getting to her feet and being run down again.
Warning: Graphic content
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After the second ramming she remained under the car, with her head and neck appearing to be stuck beneath the vehicle while a bystander asked the police: "What are you doing that for?"
It's a question many others who've seen the footage have been wondering as well.
Surrey Police said they'd been told that the cow had damaged a car and been running at members of the public.
Since then there have been a couple of updates to the situation.
The first is that the officer who rammed the calf has been removed from frontline duties, with Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp saying that the matter would be 'thoroughly and diligently investigated'.
The other is how Beau Lucy herself is doing, and thankfully she's back on the farm and being monitored by a vet for the injuries she sustained after being hit twice by a police car.
Kemp said: "I know there is much concern around the current welfare of the cow. "She is now back with her owner and recuperating with her herd.
“She did sustain a large cut to one leg and cuts and grazes. She continues to be monitored by a vet and our rural officers are staying in contact with the owner for updates.
"I can confirm that on the night, efforts were made to contact local vets without success and efforts were simultaneously being made to identify the owner.
“Why these were unsuccessful and what more could and should have been done will form a key part of the investigation."
Beau Lucy's owner, a farmer called Rob, said that the calf being rammed into was 'quite horrific' and 'wrong', suggesting that a vet should have been involved in the efforts to pacify the calf.
He told PA news agency: "I think the video speaks for itself. It was quite horrific.
"The method of dealing with the situation was incorrect. It was wrong and I think that’s the message we’ve learned.
"I don’t understand why they didn’t use a tranquilising dart. If they used a dart the animal would have calmed right down and gone over it if they needed to to get a halter on it or restrain it.
"I just think that there was poor communication, and they should have spoken to a vet really. If they did speak to a vet then surely it would have gone down the road of tranquillising."
He added that the calf was 'sulking a bit' and 'limping', while she was on antibiotics and painkillers to reduce her suffering as much as possible.
The farmer said that Beau Lucy seemed to be doing 'a lot better' but her recovery would take time as he didn't know what sort of internal injuries she might have sustained.
Joe Harker