Emily the Cow

Emily the Cow was a Holstein-type domestic cow who became an animal-rights symbol after escaping from A. Arena & Sons Inc., a slaughterhouse in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on November 14, 1995. She was approximately three years old and weighed about 1,600 pounds when she jumped over a five-foot gate shortly before she was scheduled to be killed. Her escape occurred during severe winter weather and developed into a local story as residents, farmers, and law-enforcement officers searched for her. Emily remained free for approximately 40 days, moving through the surrounding area, foraging in backyards, and at times reportedly traveling near a herd of deer. Local media coverage helped transform an individual farm animal into a public-interest story about survival and compassion. During the search, community members assisted Emily in different ways. Elmwood Farm in Hopkinton reportedly supplied crops for her to eat, while repeated efforts to capture her failed. At one stage, police were instructed to shoot her if she was encountered, reflecting the practical and legal difficulties of dealing with a large escaped animal while also intensifying public sympathy for her. When Emily was eventually recaptured, she had lost approximately 500 pounds. The slaughterhouse initially placed a value of $350 on her, but the Randa family acquired her for $1 and arranged for her to be taken to the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts, on Christmas Eve 1995. Emily spent the remaining years of her life at the Peace Abbey, a sanctuary and peace-oriented religious community associated with animal protection and vegetarian advocacy. Her story attracted visitors from the United States and abroad, and she became a living emblem for campaigns and educational work concerning farm-animal welfare. Her public role extended beyond sanctuary publicity: she was reportedly included as a bridesmaid in two weddings and became associated with religious and cultural interpretations of compassion toward animals. Within a year of her arrival, the sanctuary had also received other rescued animals, including a calf, two turkeys, a mother goat and two kids, and three rabbits. Emily's story was preserved through journalism, documentary development, public memorialization, and a later book. In 1997, film producer Ellen Little began work on a film about Emily, although the available reference material does not establish that the project was completed or released. Emily developed uterine cancer and died at the Peace Abbey on March 30, 2003. A week before her death, Krishna Bhatta, a Hindu priest from the Lakshmi Temple in Ashland, Massachusetts, visited and blessed her, placing a golden thread around her leg and another through the former ear-tag hole. Emily was buried at the Peace Abbey on April 2, 2003, between statues of Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. A life-sized bronze statue was commissioned from artist Lado Goudjabidze by Meg and Lewis Randa and unveiled on Earth Day above her grave. The memorial, known as the Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial, helped turn Emily's individual story into a permanent site of remembrance. In April 2003, selected personal materials associated with Emily, including hair, traces of blood, and part of the golden thread, were released into the Ganges at Benares, India. In 2007, Lewis and Meg Randa published a 288-page account, The Story of Emily the Cow: Bovine Bodhisattva, collecting and interpreting coverage of her escape, sanctuary life, and death. Emily is therefore best understood not as a commercial product brand but as a named animal whose identity became a cultural and advocacy symbol.

Emily was a cow who became known internationally through the circumstances of her escape from slaughter and her later residence at the Peace Abbey in Massachusetts. On November 14, 1995, she escaped from A. Arena & Sons Inc. in Hopkinton shortly before she was due to be killed. She reportedly cleared a five-foot gate, an unusual feat for an animal of her size. At the time, she was about three years old and weighed approximately 1,600 pounds. The escape developed into a 40-day search during heavy snow and cold weather. Emily was observed eating in residential backyards and was sometimes reported to be moving alongside deer. Attempts to capture her were unsuccessful, and police were reportedly ordered to shoot her if she was found. The case nevertheless gained sympathetic attention, with local people helping her avoid capture and Elmwood Farm supplying crops. The incident was covered by local newspapers and became the foundation of Emily's later symbolic importance. Following her recapture, Emily had lost about 500 pounds and required veterinary care. Although the slaughterhouse initially valued her at $350, the Randa family acquired her for $1 and transferred her to the Peace Abbey on Christmas Eve. The abbey provided a permanent sanctuary and became the center of Emily's public identity. Visitors from the United States and other countries came to see her, and animal-rights and vegetarian advocates treated her as a representative of compassion toward animals raised for food. Her story also acquired religious significance, reflecting traditions that regard the cow as a symbol of reverence or nonviolence. The sanctuary's animal population expanded after Emily arrived. Within a year, it reportedly included another calf, two turkeys, a mother goat and two kids, and three rabbits rescued from slaughter or other harmful conditions. Emily's presence thus formed part of a broader sanctuary narrative rather than remaining an isolated rescue story. She was also included in ceremonial events, reportedly serving as a bridesmaid at two weddings. In 1997, film producer Ellen Little began developing a film about Emily. The reference material identifies the project but does not establish whether it was completed. Emily's story continued to circulate through news reports and public advocacy. She remained at the Peace Abbey for roughly eight years. Emily developed uterine cancer and died on March 30, 2003. The reference material suggests, without establishing a definitive medical conclusion, that the illness may have been related to exposure to recombinant bovine growth hormone during an earlier dairy-farm period. A week before her death, Krishna Bhatta of the Lakshmi Temple in Ashland visited her and placed a golden thread around her leg and through the hole left by her former identification tag. Emily was buried at the Peace Abbey on April 2, 2003, between statues of Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. Meg and Lewis Randa commissioned artist Lado Goudjabidze to create a life-sized bronze statue. The sculpture depicts Emily with a blanket and flowers and incorporates Hindu-inspired signs of respect. It was unveiled on Earth Day and became the centerpiece of the Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial. The fiberglass mold used to create the bronze was retained at the abbey. In April 2003, hair from Emily's forehead and tail, traces of her blood, and part of the golden thread were released into the Ganges at Benares, India. In 2007, Lewis and Meg Randa published The Story of Emily the Cow: Bovine Bodhisattva, a 288-page book that compiled and interpreted press coverage from the 1995 escape through Emily's death. Emily's legacy rests on the transformation of a farm animal's escape into a durable story about sanctuary, animal rights, vegetarianism, religious respect, and public empathy.

• 2007

  Published biography

  [1]Emily (cow)en.wikipedia.org

  Lewis and Meg Randa published a book-length account of Emily's life and public legacy.

• 2003

  Death and burial

  [1]Emily (cow)en.wikipedia.org

  Emily died on March 30 and was buried at the Peace Abbey on April 2.

• 2003

  Memorial statue unveiled

  [1]Emily (cow)en.wikipedia.org

  A life-sized bronze statue was unveiled on Earth Day above Emily's grave.

• 1997

  Film development begins

  [1]Emily (cow)en.wikipedia.org

  Producer Ellen Little began work on a film about Emily's story.

• 1995

  Escape from slaughter

  [1]Emily (cow)en.wikipedia.org

  Emily escaped from A. Arena & Sons Inc. in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, shortly before slaughter by jumping over a five-foot gate.

• 1995

  Forty-day evasion

  [1]Emily (cow)en.wikipedia.org

  She avoided capture for approximately 40 days during severe winter weather, receiving help or food from members of the surrounding community.

• 1995

  Arrival at the Peace Abbey

  [1]Emily (cow)en.wikipedia.org

  After recapture and veterinary treatment, Emily was acquired by the Randa family and brought to the Peace Abbey on Christmas Eve.

A sanctuary animal and animal-welfare symbol associated with escape, survival, compassion toward farm animals, and vegetarianism.

• 2003Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial

  United States

  The Peace Abbey memorialized Emily with a grave site and life-sized bronze statue, extending her animal-welfare message beyond her lifetime.

  Outcome. The memorial became the enduring public monument associated with Emily.

  Source
• 1995Peace Abbey animal sanctuary advocacy

  United States

  Emily's relocation to the Peace Abbey made her a central figure in the sanctuary's public education about animal rescue, animal rights, and vegetarianism.

  Outcome. She became a visitor attraction and a recognizable representative of farm-animal protection.

  Source

• 2003

  Creation of a permanent memorialOther

  Background

  Following Emily's death, the Peace Abbey and the Randa family sought to preserve her significance as an animal-welfare figure.

  Action taken

  They commissioned a life-sized bronze sculpture from Lado Goudjabidze and installed it above her grave.

  Aftermath

  The site became known as the Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial.

  Source

• 1995

  Transfer from slaughterhouse to sanctuaryStrategy

  Background

  After Emily's recapture and substantial weight loss, the Randa family sought to prevent her return to slaughter.

  Action taken

  The family acquired Emily for $1 and arranged her permanent placement at the Peace Abbey.

  Aftermath

  Emily became a public symbol of animal rights and vegetarianism and remained at the sanctuary until her death.

  Source

1. 1Emily (cow)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Story of Emily the Cow: Bovine Bodhisattvabooks.google.com