Hermien, the escaping cow, safe in her forever home

The three-year-old red Limousin made her escape bid in December as she was about to be taken to the abattoir

THE HAGUE: After two months on the hoof, Hermien the cow, whose bid to flee the slaughter-house warmed Dutch hearts, has been caught and will live out her days in peace.

"Hermien is finally at home, after a long, solitary and stressful path to freedom," said a charity association which takes in cows once farms no longer want them.

The three-year-old red Limousin made her escape bid in December as she was about to be herded onto a truck and taken to the abattoir.
Fleeing her owners, she headed into the woods where she proved elusive, avoiding recapture and sneaking into a nearby stable at night to eat.



Hermien's plight spawned an outpouring of support in the Netherlands, with Twitter lighting up with hashtags such as #JesuisHermien, #GoHermien and #MeKoe - (a play on the #MeToo campaign, using the Dutch word for "cow").

A crowd-funding campaign raised some 50,000 euros, and the charity Leemweg has now taken her in after her recapture, along with her escape-buddy Zus who was found within a few hours.

"But cows never forget and both of them will no doubt be marked for life, and always fearful of people," said the charity, asking Hermien's legion of fans not to all rush to visit her at once.