Thames Valley Police officers were called yesterday at about 7.40pm following reports that a cow was loose on a road near to the A329M in Wokingham which was causing a significant danger to motorists.
Officers attended the scene, closed the road and several attempts were then made over a period of time to contain the animal.
The cow then moved to a residential area of Woodley. Despite efforts of both the police and the farmer to whom the animal belonged, the cow could not be safely brought under control. The cow became increasingly distressed and charged at a member of the public causing her minor injury, as well as causing injuries to a TVP officer and damage to vehicles.
Officers subsequently used a police vehicle to stop the cow and prevent it from charging towards other members of the public. After all other options including tranquilisation were precluded, the cow was humanely euthanised at the scene by a private company. This decision whilst not taken lightly, was necessary to limit the suffering of the animal, to prevent further injury and to ensure the safety of the public. The injured Thames Valley Police officer has since been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home.
We understand that there are some distressing videos circulating on social media relating to this incident, however we would like to reassure people that these measures were necessary and were only taken due to the need to protect the public, and were carried out in a way to minimise suffering to the animal.
