Freed From Tree, Rescued Cow Deserves Retirement, Says PETA

For Immediate Release:
September 3, 2021

Contact:
Tapi Mbundure 202-483-7382

Following a viral video of a cow’s rescue from a tree during Hurricane Ida, PETA sent a letter today to Louis Pomes, St. Bernard Parish’s road yard chief of operations, thanking him for the rescue and urging him to let the cow—and her calf—live at a reputable sanctuary.

“After the stress of finding herself wedged between branches, this cow is safe from the storm and reunited with family,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA now asks that her rescue be made permanent by granting her a peaceful retirement.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—has offered to help find a suitable facility for the two cows.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Pomes follows.

September 3, 2021

Louis Pomes

Road Yard Chief of Operations

St. Bernard Parish Government Complex

Dear Mr. Pomes:

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 9 million members and supporters worldwide—including many across Louisiana—to thank you and your coworkers for helping to rescue a cow who was wedged in a tree during the severe flooding from Hurricane Ida. This animal suffered a great deal of stress and trauma, and we’re so glad that she’s finally safe and reunited with her calf. Will you please send both of them to a safe and permanent home at a sanctuary for farmed animals so that they can live out the rest of their lives in peace? I’d be happy to arrange transport and placement at a reputable sanctuary. It would be a victory for the parish, the cow, and her calf, and the public would applaud it.

We’re hearing from members, supporters, and residents whose hearts have gone out to this cow and who don’t want to see her retired for good. Like all animals, cows don’t want to be separated from their friends and families, and they don’t want to be killed. Cows are intelligent, gentle individuals. They feel pain, fear, joy, and love, just as do the dogs and cats we share our homes with and as we do ourselves. Research has shown that cows form friendships and even hold grudges. They can learn to operate a lever to get food, they have good memories, and they can recognize more than 100 individual animals. Still, they suffer and die needlessly every day, even though vegan alternatives to their flesh and milk are plentiful.

This cow has captured the hearts of people everywhere—and they are rooting for her and pleading for her safety. Please let us help you find a reputable sanctuary for her and her baby. Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President