By Patrick Donachie
About two dozen animal advocates held a vigil on the curb outside of Aziz Slaughterhouse in Jamaica Wednesday evening in memory of a bull that escaped from the facility the day before, leading police on a wild chase throughout the streets of southeastern Queens.
The bull was subsequently captured by the NYPD but died in the midst of being taken to an animal care facility in Brooklyn.
The event was put on by Vegans of New York, and attendees held placards and candles, urging those who watched the escape unfold on television and social media to consider the many bulls and cows that did not have a chance to run for their lives.
The advocates also asked the city to take responsibility for such situations since slaughterhouses are permitted in city limits. They stressed the NYPD needed to be properly trained to contain and care for animals that escape slaughterhouses.
The bull is the second to escape from the Aziz Slaughterhouse, located at 151-24 Beaver Road, since the start of 2016. In 2012, the state Legislature barred any new slaughterhouses from being developed within 1,500 feet of a “residential dwelling” in New York City, but that did not pertain to already established slaughterhouses.
The slaughterhouse is located a few blocks from the center of downtown Jamaica, where the bull was first spotted Tuesday morning.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
