At around 8.30pm on Tuesday 23 July 2024, a truck carrying dairy steers and calves crashed into the Cremorne Railway Bridge over Alexandra Avenue, in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra.
The top sections of the truck were completely crushed, with many cows suffering excruciating injuries including broken legs and necks. Others jumped from the top of the truck and attempted to run, with some sighted running down major roads.
FTP investigators attended and documented the horrific crash, filming injured and panicked cows as they tried to free themselves from the wreckage of the top level.
With Victoria Police and Agriculture Victoria showing little interest in the welfare of the cows, and instead prioritising the removal of cows from the truck's lower level onto a second truck to be sent to a slaughterhouse, volunteers from Vets For Compassion pushed to be allowed to tranquilise the injured to relieve them of their pain and suffering and assess their condition. Several cows had to be euthanised on site due to the extent of their injuries.
Just before 1am, police moved on the crowd of concerned citizens who had gathered to film and witness the removal of the cows. Despite multiple offers of homes for the cows, police refused to pass on contact details to the owners, informing those gathered that they would have to contact Agriculture Victoria.
While crashes and rollovers of trucks carrying farmed animals are common, they usually occur in rural areas, not in the heart of Melbourne where they are less easy to ignore. This incident is a direct consequence of our society's support for the dairy and meat industries.
Thank you to the dedicated volunteers from Vets For Compassion for attending the scene and assisting the injured animals. Please consider donating to support their work.
