Cheyenne Suarez

PETA offers sanctuary for runaway cow that swam 2 km

Article (news)

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yw4ozIoH2h0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>The cow that escaped a rodeo in Masbate and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/6/23/baka-lumangoy-sa-dagat-matapos-makawala-sa-juego-de-toro-sa-cataingan-1214">swam out to sea</a> for about 2 kilometers was making a “desperate bid for freedom’ and should be moved to a sanctuary, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said Tuesday.</p><p>PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker said the cow, which escaped a bullfight event at the &#x27;Juego De Toro&#x27; in Cataingan, should be allowed to “bond with other rescued cows and live out their life in peace, just as you and I hope to do.”</p><p>“PETA stands ready to take the cow to a sanctuary where they will not need to worry about defending their lives ever again,” the PETA official said in a statement.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rg9I2n2sPMw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>PETA said the runaway cow incident comes just weeks after 18 horses escaped a farm in Davao City and galloped through busy streets.</p><p>“These aren’t isolated incidents. They’re acts of resistance. Whether it’s a cow defying the odds or horses charging into the unknown, these animals are telling us something: they don’t want to be displayed, sold, or slaughtered. They want to live. They want to be free,” Baker said. </p><p>In a separate interview, PETA campaigner Jane Sevilla said the cow swam for 2 kilometers “to escape the danger that it was feeling.”</p><p>“Reminder lang ito sa atin na ang bawat hayop kasama tayo, lahat ginagawa natin para makatakas sa panganib.</p><p>Reminder ito na kung na-touch tayo dun sa ginawa nung baka, kung naantig tayo dun sa ginawa nung baka na lumangoy ng 2 kilometro, para lang makatakas sa panganib, suportahan natin yung kalayaan nila,” she said in a DZMM interview.</p><p>“Pagnilay-nilayan natin kung paano ba tayo magiging contributor dun sa freedom na ninanais ng bawat hayop.”</p><p>Sevilla also encouraged people to go vegan and urged Filipinos to get rid of traditions that hurt animals.</p><p>“Huwag na nating gawing excuse ‘yung mga tradisyon, ‘yung mga tinatawag nilang cultural activities kung saan sinasaktan naman ‘yung mga hayop kasi nasa taong 2025 na tayo,” she said.</p><p>“Mahalaga ang tradisyon pero kung ang tradisyon ay nagbibigay panganib, sinasaktan yung mga hayop, pinapakita sa lahat na okay lang mang-torture ng hayop. Iwasan na natin ito. Tayo na ang magsimula. Huwag na tayong magparticipate sa ganitong klaseng mga activity.”</p>

<p>The cow that escaped a rodeo in Masbate and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/6/23/baka-lumangoy-sa-dagat-matapos-makawala-sa-juego-de-toro-sa-cataingan-1214">swam out to sea</a> for about 2 kilometers was making a “desperate bid for freedom’ and should be moved to a sanctuary, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said Tuesday.</p>

The cow that escaped a rodeo in Masbate and swam out to sea for about 2 kilometers was making a “desperate bid for freedom’ and should be moved to a sanctuary, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said Tuesday.