The use of the EKO Cobra is currently being heavily criticized. An officer shot a runaway cow with seven shots - witnesses speak of animal cruelty.

We received inquiries about an EKO Cobra operation where an officer needed several shots for a runaway cow. The mission is circulating as a video recording on social networks:

Screenshot by mimikama.org
Screenshot by mimikama.org

Sorry, that has to be it now:
is it true that the Austrian Cobra (that is the special police unit, similar to the German GSG9)
is not able to kill a cow at a distance of 20 meters with a clean shot?
here is the video about it:

Corba and can't shoot! It's a shame about the cow, even if it escaped from the slaughterhouse! But no animal deserves to be shot at so often and animal protection should intervene! Cobra that no cow can kill!

The fact check

On December 11, 2019, an escaped cow was shot by an EKO Cobra officer in Matrei am Brenner in the Innsbruck-Land district. The cow escaped while being loaded into a slaughterhouse transporter and ran over and injured a 32-year-old man. The farmer tried to catch the cattle again, but she behaved extremely aggressively.

When the cow ran onto a nearby railway track and blocked it for a short time, the farmer called the police. The cattle then left the tracks again and went into a meadow.

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In a press release , the Federal Ministry of the Interior explains that officers from the Cobra/DSE West task force were ordered to Statz in Tyrol by the state headquarters of the Tyrol State Police Directorate to respond to an escaped and aggressive cattle. The officers were in a helicopter near the scene for training purposes.

Based on the animal's behavior, it was assumed that the cattle could not be caught. In agreement with the owner, an officer fired five shots from a distance to the back of the skull or neck area and two shots from a close distance to the forehead, causing the animal to die.

Neighbors filmed the operation. The recordings appeared on social networks and sparked criticism of the EKO Cobra's approach. Witnesses speak of animal cruelty. Four Paws campaign manager Martina Pluder asks “since when we have had to use such Wild West methods in Austria”.

Conclusion

Yes, the cow was killed by several shots by an EKO Cobra officer. The video shows that the cow did not die immediately. The approach is heavily criticized.

The ministry defends the approach because a large crowd had gathered when the officers arrived and protecting them and securing rail and road traffic was the officers' top priority.

Sources: Vorarlberg Online , derStandard , ORF


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Notes:
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