The Hague: Fame and fortune have smiled on Hermien the Dutch cow, who escaped as she was being sent to slaughter, and has become a social network star after a month on the hoof.
Thanks to her tenacity and a crowd-funding campaign which has raised 48,000 euros, the three and a half-year old red Limousin will get to live out her days in pasture.
Hermien’s plucky bid for freedom came as she was about to loaded into a truck to be taken to the abattoir and spawned an outpouring of support.
For more than four weeks she has refused to be caught, hiding out in the safety of the woods in northern Friesland, while Twitter lit up with hashtags such as #JesuisHermien, #GoHermien and #MeKoe. The latter is a play on the #MeToo campaign, incorporating the
For more than four weeks she has refused to be caught, hiding out in the safety of the woods in northern Friesland, while Twitter lit up with hashtags such as #JesuisHermien, #GoHermien and #MeKoe. The latter is a play on the #MeToo campaign, incorporating the
Dutch word for “cow”.
Even the royal family took up her case, with Pieter van Vollenhoven, the son-in-law of former Queen Beatrix urging “we’ve got to save Hermien”.
“Let’s all buy her together and give her freedom,” he said.
Officially called “Joke 18” after the wife of her owner, Toon van den Enk, Hermien escaped with another cow, which was swiftly recaught.
According to the AD daily, the campaign has raised enough money for her to live comfortably in the fields for the rest of her days.