Home offered calf left to mourn after semi hits, kills mom on I-70 in Huber Heights

UPDATE @ 10:02 p.m.: A national organization is offering a home for a calf whose mother was killed on I-70 West early Friday as the two walked near the interstate.

The calf has been  taken to a farm where he’ll stay temporarily as Huber Heights police continue working to locate the owner.

A semitrailer hit and killed the cow as the two walked up the on-ramp from state Route 235 to I-70 about 6 a.m.

Police said they aren’t sure how the cows made their way to the interstate. There was no information about the condition of the rig’s driver.

Police put in a call to Timothy Manos, a local livestock expert, who helped capture the calf. Police officers blocked the right lane along the interstate while they fed the calf greens to keep the young one calm.

Manos reached out to another local rancher for an extra set of hands to help coax the calf into a trailer for the ride to the temporary digs.

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Tonight, Farm Sanctuary, whose officials bill it as “America’s leading farm animal protection organization,” is offering the calf a home.

“We were heartbroken to hear about the runaway cow and watched tragically as his companion, who is presumed to be his mother, was struck and killed...,” officials with the Watkins Glen, N.Y.-based organization said in a prepared statement issued by spokeswoman Meredith Turner-Smith.

“We commend Huber Heights police for consoling and protecting the distressed calf. Cows are sentient animals with strong maternal bonds and grieve deeply when they lose a loved one. We want to offer a lifetime of care for this traumatized youngster,” the statement read in part.

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