Shocking pictures taken by driver show a dying cow choked with thick mud near Harborough

WARNING: Some people might find the following video and photos distressing.

A horrified driver took these shocking pictures of a dying cow in a field choked with thick mud in a village near Market Harborough.

The woman acted after spotting the stricken farm animal as she drove along Chapel Lane in Clipston on Monday morning.

The distressed cow lay on its side unable to move but can be seen poignantly blinking her eyes in a video the driver took of her plight.

Animal and Plant Health Agency officers, RSPCA officers and an independent vet all went to the scene to attend to the cow after the alarm was raised.

And the seriously-ill animal, which had lost most of her coat, was finally put out of her misery.

Talking to the Harborough Mail, the stunned passer-by said: “It was absolutely horrible.

“I was driving along Chapel Lane in Clipston when I suddenly spotted this cow just lying there in the thick mud.

“The animal was lying on its side inches from the railing and just feet from the road,” said the woman, who asked not to be named.

“The field was full of deep mud and I couldn’t see any grass for the animals to eat.

“I jumped out of the car and walked over fearing the worst thinking the cow was already dead.

“But the poor thing was still barely breathing and wheezing away and shaking.

“I was horrified, it was just awful.

“So I took these pictures and the video to record this cow’s hellish ordeal.

“No animal, whether it’s your pet or farm livestock, should have to suffer and die like that,” she said.

“It was horrific.

“The farmer who owns this cow should be ashamed.

“I’m just pleased I didn’t have my grandchildren with me in the car – they’d have been distraught.

“Other drivers slowed down and looked at this dying cow after I stopped.

“They were just as shocked and upset as I was – but they didn’t seem particularly surprised.”

An Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) spokeswoman told us: “We take potential breaches of animal welfare legislation very seriously and APHA investigates all allegations.

“Where welfare regulations are breached, appropriate action is taken.”

She refused to comment on this particular case or to confirm that action is being taken against the local farmer involved.

The RSPCA also declined to comment saying that the Animal and Plant Health Agency were leading the investigation into this incident.