A FOREST animal-owner and the local community are outraged after Moo, the cow that thought it was a horse, was slaughtered in front of pub diners at Sunday lunchtime.
"I was really sad, absolutely devastated," said Moo's owner Lesley Worgan, who had been desperately battling MAFF officials to try to save the cow, which was in a paddock with a pregnant mare opposite the Miner's Arms in Sling, near Coleford.
"There were about eight of them and I just could not do anything. I think they are now just killing for the sake of killing. It is horrible."
Her views are echoed by pub landlord Brian Penkethman, his wife Yvonne and helper Barry Seagrave, who watched with disbelief as the cow, killed by fatal injection, was removed from the paddock dangling from a mobile crane in front of diners eating roast beef lunches.
"People were in tears," said Mr Penkethman. "They just could not believe it was happening. We had people who had ordered cancelling their meals and people who just couldn't finish eating their lunch – of course, I couldn't charge them after that."
He said it couldn't have happened at the worst time, and on a day when he would normally expect 40 to 60 customers for lunch there were only 12.
Much more upsetting than the loss of trade, however, was the fact that Moo spent a great deal of time in the paddock beside the pub and was a pet of local children – she would come to the gate when they called.
"I called MAFF the day after to tell them how upset I was and they said they had to act quickly to avoid protesters."
Lesley said she had kept Moo as a pet for about four years and it had built up a strong relationship with her horse, Clearwell Katy.
"They went everywhere together – I think the cow thought she was a horse," she said.
"They would even lie down side by side. I asked MAFF if they could wait to avoid upsetting the horse while it was in foal but they went ahead anyway."
She said she had also asked the slaughter team for the cow to be foot and mouth tested but they said it would be "too expensive".