How long was the calf with the dead cow?

The calf spent nine days with its dead mother, and it took institutions eight days to react.

Who rescued the calf?

After the story went public, locals caught the calf and took it for a veterinary check-up in Pakoštane.

According to farm owner Dragan Vukoja, the cow died because it had no water, and in the 40-degree heat, it ate dewy clover, which proved fatal.

Which institutions were contacted and did they react?

The inspectorate, police, municipal police of Biograd na Moru, the 112 emergency center, and the Animal Protection Society were contacted, but no one reacted for the first eight days.

Local

Rescued Calf That Refused to Leave Its Dead Mother

A.O. · Prije 2h | 3 min

Farm owner Dragan Vukoja spent days calling institutions without success, and only after the story went public was the calf taken to a vet in Pakoštane.

Summary

The calf spent nine days next to its dead mother near Vransko Lake.
Farm owner Dragan Vukoja spent eight days unsuccessfully calling numerous institutions.
Only after media coverage was the calf rescued and taken to a vet in Pakoštane.
Vukoja warns about the problem of irresponsible herders who leave livestock unsupervised for subsidies.

The story of an abandoned calf that refused to leave its dead mother near Vransko Lake has finally had a happy ending. After nine days of agony, the animal was rescued and taken for a veterinary check-up in Pakoštane, confirmed HRT journalist Ante Kolanović.

Eight Days of Waiting for Institutions to React

The calf kept circling the cow's carcass, and the owner of a nearby farm, Dragan Vukoja, notified all relevant services on the very first day. "I called the inspectorate, the police, the municipal police of Biograd na Moru, and the 112 emergency center. I also called the Animal Protection Society, but it seems to me that other animals are their priority," Vukoja told 24sata. There was no response for a full eight days, during which the unbearable stench spread from the carcass while the calf paced in circles around its dead mother.

Vukoja said he felt sorry for the calf and brought it water every day. "Regardless of the fact that free-roaming animals cause enormous damage, I felt sorry for the calf," he said. Only after the case went public did the institutions react.

Cows Roam Unsupervised for Months

According to Vukoja, the cow and calf appeared near his crops almost a month ago. "The cow was eating vegetables around, it damaged my chard, parsley, and carrots. That's a minor issue," he told Slobodna Dalmacija. He believes the cow died in agony because, in search of water in temperatures of 40 degrees, it ate dewy clover, which caused it to bloat.

"It got to the point where there was no water, and the temperatures are high. It had to find water in something green. It died in agony," he recounted. There is a canal near Vrana, but the water there is salty and animals can't drink it. Vukoja warns this isn't the first such case: "Two years ago, a cow died in that same gully, belonging to the same herders. They left it unsupervised until the Vransko Lake Nature Park intervened."

Failed Capture Attempts and Accusations Against Herders

The deputy mayor of Biograd na Moru sent two men to catch the calf, but they failed even after two days. "Temperature 40 degrees, the carcass is just sitting there, no shade. Horrifying. A huge shame for all of Croatia that no one reacted for eight days to a small calf and a carcass," Vukoja said. He believes irresponsible herders keep livestock only for subsidies and then let them roam freely, causing damage to agricultural land.

"This cow is just one of many that wandered off, ran out of water, and my chard was its substitute for water and its only food. A cow drinks over sixty liters of water a day, and this one didn't have a drop," Vukoja concluded. The rescued calf was finally taken to a vet in Pakoštane.