Ingham County Animal Control says a cow that got loose on US-127 this morning has been euthanized.
The cow moved into a residential neighborhood while animal control was coordinating a trailer to transport the animal.
Animal control used nine tranquilizer darts with a veterinarian on site to try to chemically immobilize the cow, but the medications had little to no effect.
“As the incident progressed and the cow moved into a densely populated residential area with an elementary school in the immediate area, concerns for public safety drastically increased,” Ingham County Animal Control wrote in a Facebook post.
The release of students from the elementary school was delayed as the situation unfolded.
The East Lansing Police Department said it spent six hours attempting to lasso and herd the cow.
But ultimately, animal control said local police euthanized the cow using a firearm.
“This was an unfortunate outcome to a challenging situation,” Ingham County Animal Control wrote in a Facebook post. “Throughout the incident, repeated efforts were made to safely contain the animal and achieve a positive outcome. Unfortunately, as the situation escalated, the safety of residents and the surrounding community had to remain the priority.”
Animal control said the cow fell from a livestock trailer that was improperly secured during transport.
The individual transporting the cow was unaware it was missing until arriving at their destination more than an hour away, the department said.
The cow was returned to the transporter after being euthanized.
"The cow is no longer loose," Ingham County Animal Control wrote in a statement.
