St. Paul cops take down heifer on the loose

Escaped cow near the fairgrounds
An escaped heifer that ran through St. Paul streets near the State Fairgrounds Friday morning.
Courtesy KARE11 News

Updated 4:45 p.m. | Posted 2:19 p.m.

An escaped heifer that ran through St. Paul streets near the State Fairgrounds Friday morning couldn't be captured and had to be shot and killed.

Officers arrived near Snelling Avenue and Energy Park Drive around 11:47 a.m. after receiving several calls about the animal.

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St. Paul police worked with St. Paul Animal Control to try and contain the heifer as it moved east, "which was not as easy one would think," St. Paul Police spokesperson Sgt. Mike Ernster said.

After following the heifer for an hour, Ernster said, officers consulted with animal control officials and decided killing the animal was the best option.

"They attempted to corral the cow and tried to get it to stay in one place so that we could form a plan on what to do," he explained.

"The cow, instead of standing in one place, chose to put her head down and charge at officers who tried to corral her, including one railroad worker ... who had to jump over the hood of a squad car to get away from the cow," Ernster said.

The decision to kill became a public safety issue, he added. No squads were damaged and no officers were injured.

The white heifer, named Breanna, was part of the Minnesota British White & Park Association sale being held at the State Fairgrounds in conjunction with the Minnesota Beef Expo, according to fair spokesperson Christine Noonan.

The Wisconsin heifer came loose when it was being unloaded from its trailer, she added.

The animal's owner had been in contact with police.

Noonan said some good could come from the incident.

"They are hoping to be able to butcher it and they'll donate the meat to a homeless shelter," she said.

If that doesn't work, she added, there will be an effort to either donate the meat or raise money from it for charity.