Monday, March 15, 2010

Amorous cattle sent to city chopping block

DPA

Phnom Penh (March 15, 2010): Cambodian authorities rounded up 15 bovines in the capital after a series of incidents in which lustful bulls pursued cows in public areas, local media reported Monday. Phnom Penh's mayor last week ordered officials to impound the animals, seven of which will be slaughtered for the military.

Khin Sim, a local official, said staff had seen the cows and bulls wandering about "in anarchy" on a main road near the international airport, and confiscated them. "We have educated residents for a year not to release their cows in the streets because it causes many traffic accidents, but villagers have ignored the advice," he told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

He said the problem had worsened with the advent of the mating season.

"The villagers know that the breeding season can be very dangerous for passersby because the bulls run after the cows for breeding," he said, adding that one resident was recently knocked unconscious by an amorous bull.

He said the authorities purchased seven of the wayward animals, for slaughter to feed soldiers at Preah Vihear temple on the northern border with Thailand. The fate of the remaining eight was unclear.

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