Queens activists keep candle burning for escaped cow

Animal activists held a vigil for a cow that escaped from a Jamaica slaughterhouse in 2017. Photo via NYCLASS/Facebook

By Rachel Vick

A small group of New York City animal rights activists gathered in Jamaica on Sunday for an annual vigil to honor “Courage,” a bull who made a daring escape from a Jamaica slaughterhouse in 2017 only to die en route to the vet.

For the fourth year in a row, the activists stood outside the Aziz Slaughterhouse on Beaver Street, the scene of the escape, with signs condemning animal markets.

“He ran for his life… just like you would,” one sign read. Another called for the passage of a bill banning so-called wet markets.

Other has some variation of the familiar vegan slogan “meat is murder.” 

After an hours-long chase through Queens, Courage was tranquilized and captured alive, but died en route to the Center for Animal Care in Brooklyn. The animal’s remains were cremated, according to CBS.

Courage was the third cow to escape a New York City slaughterhouse in an 18-month period, including another bovine breakout at Aziz in April 2016.