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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think you don't deal with an escaped cow by running it over!

135 replies

Dobbyafreeelf · 14/05/2021 15:19

Last night Thames Valley Police deliberately hit and killed an escaped cow in a residential area. They claim it was out of control. Had they backed off and moved people away it would have likely calmed down enough to be contained. Chasing it caused it to injure a member of the public and police officer. It was not killed outright by being run over!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-57112449

AIBU to think that this is not a humane way of dispatching an animal? If it was that out of control surely firearms should have been used to dispatch it!

OP posts:
CuriousaboutSamphire · 14/05/2021 16:43

You seem remarkably well informed. Maybe you should volunteer the be the Police Cow Liaison Officer.

The farmer was also involved and had been in contact with the police. Other papers carry more snippets and backing off had no impact on the scared animal. They did want they could. It won't have been what they wanted to do but, given the state of the cow (and surely you know how bewildered and anxious they get when separated from their herd and familiar surroundings) there wasn't much else they could have done.

Your assumption that armed response were available or desirable is also open to question. We don't know who was called or available. But it is highly unlikely that police in the scene, or the farmer, chose just to chase the poor cow with no other strategy!

snowdropsandcrocuses · 14/05/2021 16:43

And yes, you said it yourself. They put themselves at risk and took the damage to the van rather than risk anyone else or anyone else's property. That is exactly what is expected of police isn't it?

ClawedButler · 14/05/2021 16:47

Dairy cows are typically slaughtered for beef at the age of about 5 when their milk production starts to slow down.
Before then, it's 5 years of constant insemination-pregnancy-birth-removal of calves-milking-insemination again.

Yes this cow died in a horrific fashion, in terror and pain. But so do they all - we just don't see it on the street.

cupsofcoffee · 14/05/2021 16:48

They also put themselves at risk and probably wrote off a police van.

Isn't that better than them putting the general public at risk?

UnFringed · 14/05/2021 16:49

Do you think the police person driving took the decision lightly?

They both totalled the car and put themselves at serious risk of death. You weren’t there, you don’t know if there were no other options and it could have easily killed someone.

Sad all around but not one for rage.

nixonten · 14/05/2021 16:53

It might well have taken 15 minutes to get firearms officer to scene.
Humane captive bolt weapons need to be held in contact with animals skull.
Nobody in UK has dart anaesthetic weapons like in Africa.

Shotgun!! you would have to be very close which would add even more excitement.
Please think about choices.

KrisAkabusi · 14/05/2021 16:54

The cow had already injured two people. They needed to stop it as quickly as possible to prevent it from injuring or killing someone else. Comparing it to a deer is nonsense, they're about a quarter the size. Vets don't usually shoot animals, they use drugs or captive-bolt guns on contained animals. The police had to make a difficult choice and they're being second- guessed by people who don't understand how dangerous these situations can be.

lilsquish · 14/05/2021 16:58

You can guarantee if they had turned up and somehow managed to shoot it dead at the start of the incident there would be people shouting 'why didnt they try to contain it'!!

damned if they do, damned if they dont

Calmdown14 · 14/05/2021 16:58

We are so hard on our poor police officers. I doubt they expected to be dealing with anything like this or had any experience in the situation.
They did what they thought was best in a difficult situation. It's all well and good reflecting after the fact but if it had killed a child everyone would be saying 'why didn't they do more'
We can all be experts after the fact from the comfort of our living rooms

Original poster
Dobbyafreeelf · 14/05/2021 17:02

@nixonten

It might well have taken 15 minutes to get firearms officer to scene. Humane captive bolt weapons need to be held in contact with animals skull. Nobody in UK has dart anaesthetic weapons like in Africa. Shotgun!! you would have to be very close which would add even more excitement. Please think about choices.
Rubbish! Every zoo or safari park in the country has licensed staff to dart animals! And indeed a lot of estates running deer herds do too.

Yes it's tricky shooting at a moving target but that's what marksmen train for. And the police firearms are there for this type of event as well as terrorist attacks!

This incident didn't take a few minutes it was over an hour. Plenty of time for firearms or the likes to get there!

OP posts:
CadburyCake · 14/05/2021 17:04

If the worst that happened here is a cow suffered for a short while until destroyed, I can live with that if it prevented further injury or death to a person.

And if anyone is at fault presumably it’s whoever is responsible for it escaping in the first place.

Igloo71 · 14/05/2021 17:05

It’s sad but this cow had already barged someone over outside Tesco in Woodley (in the middle of a big housing estate) and our local press has quoted people who saw it describing the cow as “angry”. It had then run through further mass housing, along major road routes for well over a mile. Sad as it is, TVP did the right thing IMO.

Aprilwasverywet · 14/05/2021 17:07

Bet those van occupants won't be eating burgers anytime soon..
What a disgusting thing to even consider as a measure to ensure anyone's safety..
Absolutely fucking grim.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 14/05/2021 17:07

No zoo vet will shoot when they cannot control the background. Its not like Daktari!

Snackz · 14/05/2021 17:10

@Dobbyafreeelf It's all well and good saying 'They could have done this, they could have done that!'. The police are humans too and I'm sure they're feeling terrible.

WeAllHaveWings · 14/05/2021 17:15

A sad and distressing situation. I won't judge the police, they did what was necessary at the time.

Sylvan92 · 14/05/2021 17:16

I hate what was done but I’d imagine the person driving the van absolutely hated doing.

Porcupineintherough · 14/05/2021 17:17

Ime (I used to be a zoo keeper) zoo vets arent great shots. They rarely need to dart stuff and, if they do, the animal in question is usually caught up in a holding pen or crush cage first. Ifs not like they hunt them over acres of savanna. Game reserve wardens in Africa perhaps...

Maggiesfarm · 14/05/2021 17:18

From the article, it looks as though the police at the scene were in a no win situation. It's hardly the sort of situation you encounter every day, even in the country. Most runaway cattle is caught by the farmer, this one obviously wanted to see the local sights!

They saved people's lives that day. It is sad that the cow had to be killed in such an inhumane manner, I doubt the police officers carried firearms or even a firearm. I expect an emergency vet or firearms expert was on the scene as soon as possible.

No countryman/woman police officer would seek to kill a cow, they respect the farming community, some of whom are their relatives and oldest friends.

It is sad for the cow but the police did what they believed was right at the time and I don't see how they had much choice.

Tambora · 14/05/2021 17:19

"humanely euthanised" it says in the BBC report. Driving a police van into a cow four times is not humane.

This is a disgrace.

blacksax · 14/05/2021 17:23

@Robinkitty

I hope all you concerned people of the poor cow don’t eat meat!
The meat in shops has not been run over by a police van.
Jijithecat · 14/05/2021 17:24

If you were really that bothered you would ask TVP yourself rather than trying to stir things up here.
As the news of the escaped cow had been circulated on social media you can guarantee that lots of people made their way to the area to get in on the action, making the situation worse.
Real life policing isn't like LOD, there aren't that many licensed firearms officers. TVP is a massive force and there possibly wasn't an ARV in the vicinity.

FreezeMotherHubbard · 14/05/2021 17:24

@Tambora

"humanely euthanised" it says in the BBC report. Driving a police van into a cow four times is not humane.

This is a disgrace.

It's not though is it.
FreezeMotherHubbard · 14/05/2021 17:26

@Maggiesfarm

From the article, it looks as though the police at the scene were in a no win situation. It's hardly the sort of situation you encounter every day, even in the country. Most runaway cattle is caught by the farmer, this one obviously wanted to see the local sights!

They saved people's lives that day. It is sad that the cow had to be killed in such an inhumane manner, I doubt the police officers carried firearms or even a firearm. I expect an emergency vet or firearms expert was on the scene as soon as possible.

No countryman/woman police officer would seek to kill a cow, they respect the farming community, some of whom are their relatives and oldest friends.

It is sad for the cow but the police did what they believed was right at the time and I don't see how they had much choice.

Agreed. Cows, whilst normally completely peaceful, can cause no end of damage to a vehicle never mind humans. Whilst it's not a pleasant case the police did well and erred on the side of caution.
EmeraldShamrock · 14/05/2021 17:27

And if anyone is at fault presumably it’s whoever is responsible for it escaping in the first place.
Yep agreed. A farmer wouldn't think twice about shooting a threatening dog over his sheep, the police sacrificed a cow to save human life.

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