Group to hold memorial vigil for shot cow

Cow onesies and candles.

That's how a group intends to mourn a cow that was shot dead by police snipers in the north of England.

The bovine, known as Bessie, was one of three intrepid cows that managed to escape from Rising Sun Country Park in North Tyneside on Sunday (May 17).

While the other two animals were caught without incident, Bessie was taken down after police made the call to "destroy" her because her "increasingly distressed" state posed a danger to passer-bys.

Extreme

However, many believe that the operation to shoot Bessie - an effort that saw a helicopter and six marksmen mobilised - was too extreme.

Freelance photographer John Millard, who was there when the fatal shot was fired, described Bessie as a "docile little cow standing in a field" that was "standing there, just eating" in her final moments.

In response, a Facebook page called R.I.P Wallsend Cow was set up to organise a candle light vigil for the fallen bovine on Friday (May 22) evening.

In a radio interview with the BBC, page owner Dave Turner said: "It's not every day you get a cow getting shot in a field nearby. I think we need to mark this occasion with a serious send-off for Bessie.

"It wasn't doing anything, it was just eating a bit of grass - it probably got sick of the grass it was eating elsewhere, it heard about a nice new patch, went down and started grazing, and the next thing is police turn up and start firing at it.

"We are going to light candles and say a little prayer for her."

Source: BBC