Cow gives birth at sanctuary after escape from cattle truck in Paterson

A cow who escaped a cattle truck that was on its way to a slaughterhouse on Route 80 gave birth to a calf named Winter on Saturday, an animal rescue facility said.

Winter was born Saturday at 1:30 p.m., the Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue said on its Facebook page Sunday. Her weight was not available.  

"She's beautiful," Mike Stura, the founder of the Wantage sanctuary, said about Winter. "She ended up safe. It's fortunate."

Winter's birth gives the sanctuary 70 cows, Stura said.

On Thursday, around 2:41 a.m., Winter’s mother, later named Brianna, escaped a cattle truck on Route 80 as it was traveling to a slaughterhouse. Police gave chase to Brianna across Route 80.

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Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said Brianna had kicked open the door of the trailer and jumped onto the highway. After she was captured, the Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue took her in.

“She was less than 10 minutes away from that slaughterhouse when she flew out of the truck,” the rescue organization wrote on Facebook. “She’s never had freedom, she’d been impregnated about nine months ago, and had already lost her home and her family, but that wasn’t enough, EVERYTHING was about to be stolen from her, her beautiful baby, and her life.”  

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