2 Runaway Steers Shot By Police, Angering Animal Rights Activists

CHELSEA, MI — Depending on whose version of the story you believe, two runaway steers destined for the butcher in southeast Michigan were either murdered or killed to protect the public because they were aggressive, setting up a conflict between animal-rights activists and livestock farmers.

The 1,500-pound steers escaped Thursday from a farmer in the Superior Township area who was taking them to Milan to be butchered, an everyday occurrence in farm country. The door to the trailer broke open, the steers bolted to freedom and the owner couldn’t corral them, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, which put out an alert warning residents “these animals can be aggressive so use caution.”

Among those joining the search for the missing steers was Daniel McKernan, who founded and operates the Barn Sanctuary in Chelsea. He envisions a world where no one eats meat and everyone embraces a vegan lifestyle. Farm animals like the runaway steer find sanctuary at McKernan’s nonprofit. He hitched a trailer to his vehicle, determined to bring the runaway — initial reports indicated there was only one steer on the loose — in alive.

In several Facebook Live videos, McKernan describes seeing a hovering helicopter and hearing gunshots. During his more than half-hour search for the steers, his comments were consistent with the mission of Barn Sanctuary. He described a steer “fighting for his life” and worried that “if this cow is stuck outside at night, it will probably freeze.” The temperature “felt like around negative 7 degrees," he said.

McKernan urged his 10,781 Facebook followers to call the sheriff’s office and let authorities know “there’s dude with a horse trailer who’s very nice to cows” and tell them “please don’t shoot.”

One steer, McKernan said, had already been shot and “skinned alive and left in the woods to die,” but he later qualified that it was “probably skinned alive.” (It wasn’t, the sheriff's office said later.)

When McKernan found a sheriff’s deputy, he was rebuked and told his help wasn't needed.

“I went out there all nice,” McKernan said. “I have a horse trailer. This animal is scared. It’s unbelievable. It’s awful.”

Later, he said: “They must be hunting now. They’re (expletive) hunting, pardon my language.”

In another video, he said: "All I've got to say is these cows are fighting for their lives right now. They just want to be free. They want to be in a forest like this, and the fact that the Washtenaw sheriff's department just goes out and hunts them when they find out they're lost, instead of calling animal rescue groups to take them in, that's unbelievable."

The videos blew up on Facebook, of course, generating thousands of shares and sympathetic comments.

The comments and reviews on the Facebook page of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, which was put in a defensive position, weren't sympathetic at all, with a few exceptions. In a statement, the sheriff’s office said:

“The owner also advised that she had no way to corral the animals. Subsequently, all parties involved agreed that due to their size, aggressiveness, proximity to residential neighborhoods, and that they were previously set to be butchered the animals would need to be dispatched on scene and transported by the owners afterwards.”

The first steer was found quickly, but the second one was more difficult to locate and required the use of a Michigan State Police helicopter. The second steer was located and shot in Ann Arbor Township.

The decision to butcher the first steer in the wooded area where he was killed was the owner’s, the sheriff’s office said in a statement, adding that deputies did not skin the steers.

"The Sheriff's Office role was to ensure public safety by assisting the owner in locating and dispatching of her animals in a timely and safe manner," the statement said. "Once both animals were located the owner resumed possession and the decisions of how and when to dispose of the animals are solely hers."

The sheriff’s office did find some vindication in the mostly angry reviews.

“Will people who have no knowledge of farm animals, cattle specifically, stop posting foolish reviews please?” Jeff Keith posted. “The sheriff's department acted in a proper manner to remove a threat to the public at large. The owner of the animal agreed that the animals needed to be put down, and THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO THE BUTCHER!!! For all the nonsense about being skinned alive... think about what you are saying. A 1500-2000lb animal cannot be skinned alive. Thank you sheriff's department for doing your duty and enduring with class all of these baseless allegations.”

Tim Oleyar added: “Thank you to the sheriff for helping the owner regain possession of their animals. It's a shame that people think a stranger should be able to show up and demand what be done with someone else's property.”

Below is one of McKernan’s videos.

(AP Photo/Michael Probst: File)