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Loose Cow Put Down After Bridge Ordeal

A cow loose on the Jamestown Bridge has been put down.

 

A cow that broke loose on the Jamestown Bridge Tuesday morning has been put down after a two-hour chase in and around Route 138.

"We've had cows on the highway, but I can't say we've ever had one on the bridge," said Lt. Skip Buxton of the Rhode Island State Police.

According to Buxton, Don Mento of Watson Farm was transporting two cows across the bridge around 7:30 a.m. when the back door somehow opened and the cow fell out. Though the cow suffered minor injuries from the fall, it continued to roam the bridge for another 15 minutes, causing traffic jams in both directions. Police and officials from the Department of Environmental Management were able to corral the cow off the bridge and down Route 138, eventually putting it down around 9:30 a.m. at Mento's request.

Buxton added that both cows were on their way to Johnston to be slaughtered.

"They were doomed anyway, unfortunately," said Buxton.

Related Topics: Jamestown Bridge and loose cow

nptresident

4:45 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Not the uplifting story I was hoping for. I think I shall eat salads for a good while.

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Joe Sousa.

5:47 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

According to Buxton, Don Mento of Watson Farm was transporting two cows across the bridge around 7:30 a.m. when the back door was kicked opened and the cow jumped out. Planing his (the Cows) escape earlier he dashed across the bridge in an attempt to car jack a passing car . The plan fell apart, and police were able to corral the cow off the bridge and down Route 138, eventually putting it down around 9:30 a.m. at Mento's request.
And that's the rest of the story

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malcom lagauche

12:00 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011

A sad ending, indeed. But, the cow was a "she" not a "he." Cows are females.

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Joe Sousa.

9:02 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011

In the terminology used to describe the sex and age of cattle, the male is first a bull calf and if left intact becomes a bull; if castrated he becomes a steer and in about two or three years grows to an ox. The female is first a heifer calf, growing into a heifer and becoming a cow. Depending on the breed, mature bulls weigh 1,000–4,000 pounds
I think it is called a steer since it was heading to the butcher.

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Sailor

8:27 am on Sunday, October 23, 2011

I wouln't be going to Texas and telling some rancher there he has a fine herd of oxen. You might hear him mumble something under his breath about "ignorant yankees". Oxen are cattle trained to be draft animals. Doesn't matter if they're plain or with nuts.

Greg Dawley

6:42 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Great photo, freeze you big bovine!

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Lorna Steele

7:02 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Such a sad story, and such a sad commentary on human callousness. To end the story with a quote from Buxton about them being doomed anyway, as if to say oh well, tough luck, whatever. Really? I guess compassion wasn't running loose on the Jamestown Bridge, or in the word processor of the journalist who wrote this. Shame on you both.

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jan hindley

7:08 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

sorry the story didnt allow for the poor cow to be 'adopted' by a kind hearted traveler..

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M. P.

10:16 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

This was a story better left untold. There is enough negativity on the Patch... did we really need to add tragedy?

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nptresident

6:52 am on Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Well, we are grown ups - I think we can handle the truth even if the truth is grizzly.

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npt resident

9:02 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Sounds to me like Don Mento should have been put down instead for letting it fall out of the trailer!

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nptresident

9:24 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011

So there are TWO nptresidents on this site? How interesting....

b krawczyk

8:05 am on Sunday, October 23, 2011

There has to be more to this story. Why didn't Mento take the cow to make hamburgers as scheuled? Is there a recovery bill to be paid (by him). People have to pay to be rescued at sea, maybee Mento has been negligent and needs to pay the
taxpayers for the manpower time spent in chaseing down this cow.

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Shee G

7:22 am on Monday, October 24, 2011

Someone needs to learn how to spell... Or type slower and retract
As for the special moment of FREEDOM for that farm animal. Glad for the moment of its clarity of life.

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Meghan

9:34 am on Monday, October 24, 2011

Really do we need more depressing news. Poor cow.

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