Calf who fled slaughterhouse and hit up NY freeway finds happy ending

A calf has found a happy home after he rose to fame by fleeing a slaughterhouse and kicking up a fuss on a New York freeway.

Named after the route he was discovered on, Major Deegan captured the attention of many major news organizations during his great escape last week, wherein the NYPD recaptured him and took him into custody. According to The Independant, he has since been sent to Skylands Sanctuary in New Jersey, after a detour to the Animal Care Center (ACC) in Harlem.

Major Deegan, however, is by no means the only animal to appear on New York streets in recent days. Katy Hansen of the ACC said that the organization has received four renegade animals in the last 10 days, compared to 11 in all of 2018. This is a phenomenon she likened to the animated film Chicken Run, but do bear in mind that, as far as we know, the animals haven’t started talking — yet.

Seems there’s something in the air. Perhaps it’s time we keep our eyes peeled for an army of piglets coming to settle the score.

Update: Since the time of writing, this calf — revealed to be a female, named Kristen — died of kidney failure, in a “devastating” turn of events at Skylands Sanctuary, despite careful vet supervision. According to a post from the sanctuarry, the stressful escape contributed to her untimely death.

If you’d like to support the efforts of Skylands Sanctuary, you can donate to the organization here. Animal Care Centers of NYC are accepting donations here.

Header image source: Animal Care Centers of New York
Body image source: Budimir Jevtic/Shutterstock.com