Auburn Police Shoot Runaway Cow

Auburn Police were forced to shoot a runaway cow multiple times after it kicked its way out of a moving trailer and began running in and out of traffic.

The Sun Journal reports police were called to the circle near Minot Avenue around 10 a.m. on Monday to the report of a runaway cow that was causing a nuisance. The cow was being transported with another cow by Harvest Hill Farms in Mechanic Falls, and was bound for the slaughterhouse. The animal kicked its way out of the trailer and started running around.

The cow finally made its way over to the welding supply store, Maine Oxy. When canisters of flammable gas started getting knocked over by the animal, police knew they had to do something. They notified the cow's owner who authorized them to kill the animal, if necessary.

Police managed to maneuver the cow into a place where he wasn't close to any gas canisters and then worked to put it down. It took 10 to 15 rounds, police say, because the animal was so crazed with adrenaline. Truck driver John Ethridge told the Sun Journal, "She was out of her element, totally, and it just made her real crazy."

The entire incident took about 45 minutes. The other cow, separated by a partition, remained inside the trailer.