Firefighters Nab Award for Rescuing Cow from Icy Pond

PETA Offers to Send Julie the Cow to a Sanctuary to Live Out Her Life in Peace

For Immediate Release:
January 11, 2018

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department, which sprang into action on Monday afternoon after a local farmer noticed that all the cows in his pasture were staring at the frozen-over pond, where a cow named Julie had fallen through the ice. Mt. Pleasant Engine 1 and Rescue 1 arrived on the scene, where crews used an inflatable rescue boat, a sledgehammer, and a chain saw to maneuver through at least 10 inches of ice and 12 feet of water, reach Julie’s side, and guide her to safety with ropes.

Deputy Chief Dustin Sneed said of the rescue, “Any time a life’s involved, whether it be an animal or a person, we do anything we [can] to make the best of it.” In honor of the rescuers’ efforts, PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—is offering to send Julie to a sanctuary where she’ll never be forcibly impregnated for milk production or slaughtered for meat.

“These brave firefighters didn’t hesitate to help this cow escape from her life-threatening predicament,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “Now that her rescuers have saved her from that icy pond, PETA is offering to save her from being slaughtered by sending her to a sanctuary to live out the rest of her days in peace.”

The Mt. Pleasant Fire Department will receive a framed certificate, a letter of congratulations, delicious vegan jerky, and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet, a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating vegan meals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.