‘Case of missing infected cow referred to prosecutor’

AMMAN — The case of an infected cow that went missing after it was seized by authorities in Irbid has been transferred to the prosecutor general, an official said on Wednesday.

Authorities had seized the cow from a butcher’s shop in the northern city on June 25 because it was infected with tuberculosis, but the next day the cow was “nowhere to be found”, said Irbid’s assistant mayor, Ziad Tal. 

“The Rangers seized the cow after hearing several concerns about it from residents in the western area of the city. The municipality’s director of health affairs examined the cow and said it was infected with tuberculosis,” Tal told The Jordan Times.

Authorities ordered that the cow be moved to a waste area after it was destroyed, Tal said, adding that Rangers said it had been sprayed with chlorine. 

 “The driver of the truck parked in the municipality’s garage, where he handed the truck to another driver to transport it to the waste area,” the official continued.

But inconsistencies in the accounts of the truck driver, witnesses and others involved led the municipal council to refer the case to the prosecutor general, he said.  

The testimonies clashed and were “not credible”, Tal said, quoting the municipal council and the involved authorities.  

 “The prosecutor general will look into the case and study the possible suspects’ testimonies — the reasons of the act are still unknown,” he added.

Officials said there were suspicions that the cow was stolen, or that it was returned to the butcher’s shop, noting that the meat of the 300kg cow is unfit for human consumption.