It would be remiss of me not to give Yvonne the German cow, who has been on the run since May, a mention. Yvonne, a six-year-old dairy cow, has, in the words of one newspaper, become "a kind of freedom fighter for the animal loving German republic" since she escaped from her field in the village of Zangberg, 50 miles north-east of Munich. Yvonne went on the run after apparently sensing she was about to be sent to the slaughterhouse, she was ofcourse absolutely right. Since then she has led a quiet life grazing in the nearby forests, until she walked into the path of a passing police car. A €10,000 reward is being offered in Germany for her safe return.
Animal protection activists are incensed that local hunters have been given permission to shoot Yvonne on sight. An animal sanctuary over the Austrian border in Salzburg agreed to buy Yvonne from the farm for €600 and has offered her a paddock with grass to graze on for the rest of her days.
Whatever happens to Yvonne, she’s one very smart lady cow – perhaps there is something in the name!
Yvonne Ainsworth
