Coney Island cow dies after being sedated for health check
The free-roaming Brahman cow on Coney Island Park has died.
The National Parks Board (NParks) said the cow could not be revived after it was sedated for blood and fecal samples to be taken during its annual health check by veterinarians on Sept 28.
The NParks said health checks are necessary for the cow's well-being as well as for public health reasons such as to prevent the spread of diseases between humans and animals.
Given its large size, sedating the cow was a standard procedure to ensure the safety of all personnel involved, the NParks statement added.
Post-mortem investigations by the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) revealed that the cow had underlying illnesses and that it likely died of heart and lung complications while sedated.
Very little is known about the cow, but it first appeared on Coney Island some time in 2015 when the park was under development.
According to Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, the cow was found in a weak and undernourished state.
It was nursed back to health and underwent regular check-ups every six months, the minister said in a Facebook post in October last year during the park's re-opening.
The cow was speculated to have wandered in from Punggol or Lorong Halus.
Mr Khaw asked visitors to Coney Island not to disturb the cow and respect its privacy.
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