RAYNHAM, Mass. — A well-known animal rights organization will place a billboard along Interstate 495 in Raynham to memorialize a 1,300-pound bull that was fatally shot after the animal caused a multi-vehicle crash earlier this month.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said in a statement that it “plans to place a billboard in his honor along I-495 urging everyone, ‘Help Others Escape the Slaughterhouse: Please, Go Vegan.’”
The bull “became enraged and escaped” from Mathieu Farms on Aug. 12, while farm workers were loading the bull into a truck to be transported to a slaughterhouse, police said.
A police investigation later found “that the bull had been frightened while being loaded onto a transport trailer, causing it to escape,” police said.
PETA said the organization’s billboard will pay tribute to the bull’s “bravery.”
“This bull ran for his life and fought as hard as he could for his freedom, as any human would if someone tried to send them to slaughter,” PETA Senior Director Danielle Katz said in a statement. “PETA’s billboard will remind everyone that they can honor his bravery and win freedom for all other animals—from bulls to birds—by keeping them off their plates.”
Police responded to multiple 911 calls around 9 a.m. on Aug. 12 reporting a large black bull running down Jennings Drive near Elm Street East.
“The bull ran through multiple fences, including electrified fences, and jumped over a 6-foot-tall berm to escape,” police said at the time.
Farm owners also called 911 to report that the bull was loose and warned that the animal was “highly aggressive,” police said.
Before officers arrived, the bull ran onto I-495, causing a three-vehicle crash, police said. One driver was taken to a local hospital.
After the crash, the bull then ran into a wooded area off Elm Street East, and then ran further into Lake Nippenicket near a Raynham Water District building.
After swimming in the water for a short time, officers and farm staff were able to locate the bull, police said.
“Upon seeing the officers, the bull quickly and aggressively swam toward the group on shore, prompting a Raynham Police officer to discharge his department-issued rifle,” police said at the time. “The shots were ineffective at stopping the animal, and the bull got out of the water and began to charge at those on shore.”
An officer fired several more rifle shots and struck the bull in the leg, disabling it, police said. The farm owner then euthanized the bull with his hunting rifle.
“The farm owner and farm staff were cooperative throughout the incident and relayed to police early on that the bull would likely need to be put down rather than captured, due to its aggression,” police said.
In its statement, PETA decried animal slaughter.
“Every year, millions of animals headed for slaughterhouses are crammed onto trucks where they typically go without food, water, or rest for the duration of the journey, which can sometimes be days,” PETA said.
“Many cows collapse in hot weather. In the cold, cows sometimes become frozen to the sides of trucks until workers pry them off with crowbars,” PETA said. “By the time the exhausted cows reach the slaughterhouse, many are too sick or injured to walk, and others who are too frightened to leave the truck are shocked with electric prods or dragged off with chains.”
The animal rights organization promotes eating vegan to prevent animal suffering and deaths like the Raynham bull incident.
“Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint, and reduces their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity,” PETA said.
PETA offers a free vegan starter kit to help people looking to make a dietary switch.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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