She remains stolid even after triggering a storm across Europe. The concerned authorities in Bulgaria announced her death sentence and then, changed the decision. However, Penka happily munches on hay, as she is unaware of the international stir she has caused. She is also ready to deliver babies soon. May be, she will be allowed to deliver in her familiar cow-shed, and not in a foreign country.

Penka, the cow

Penka – the cow – belongs to the Bulgarian village of Kopilovtsi. She wandered away from her herd near the neighbouring village of Mazarachevo in May and entered into neighbouring Serbia. Unlike Serbia, Bulgaria is a member of the European Union (EU). So, Penka actually committed two ‘crimes’. She landed in a foreign country without paperwork and violated international law. It is clearly mentioned in European Commission’s guidelines that animals entering the EU have to have papers verifying their health. In this case, Penka is solely responsible for violating the EU law.

The Serbian authorities informed government officials in Sofia immediately after the detention of Penka, the ‘infiltrator’. Then, the Bulgarian officials contacted Raina Georgieva, the owner of the pregnant cow. Belgrade sent Penka back to Bulgaria within two weeks. However, the government of President Rumen Radev decided to ‘punish’ Penka for violating the international law. The Bulgarian judiciary sentenced the cow to death.

Penka

However, Penka’s plight prompted protests on social media. In Britain, the Eurosceptic campaigners showcased Penka as a victim of Brussels bureaucracy. Animal rights campaigners from different parts of the world, including former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, signed petitions, urging Bulgaria to save the five-year-old animal. Sir Paul tweeted: “I think it would be really nice to see this pregnant cow given a reprieve. She’s done nothing wrong. Join us if you agree.”
After considering the situation, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency agreed to review the case. Penka successfully cleared the lab tests last week and found her place in a separate quarantine box. Now, she is waiting for her owner who had purchased her seven months ago.

Laboratory Analysis

Meanwhile, Raina thanked the animal rights group ‘Four Paws’ for saving Penka’s life. “It will be really cruel to kill all those animals. I do hope that if there is a gap in European legislation, Penka’s case will help to solve this issue,” said Four Paws spokesperson Yavor Gechev. In this connection, one may even think of Pakistani writer, playwright and author Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story ‘Toba Tek Singh’.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das