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METROWEST
DAILY NEWS Emily the Cow Dies By Peter Reuell Wednesday, April 2, 2003 As spokeswomen go, Emily was never really all that talkative. But all it took was one look in her wide, brown eyes and the occasional "moo," and most folks at least contemplated putting down their cheeseburgers for good. Dozens of friends and fans of the Holstein with heart turned out at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn yesterday to say goodbye to the cow who became a national cause celebre and poster animal for vegetarianism. "It's amazing we're all here because of a cow," Peace Abbey's co-director, Meg Randa, marveled. "She was just extraordinary. "I feel like her job wasn't done...but I know her legacy will continue (if) we all carry her in our hearts." The boisterous bovine first captured the region's attention eight years ago, when she jumped a fence at a Hopkinton slaughterhouse and fled into the nearby woods. Aided by supporters opposed to the eating of meat, Emily managed to say on the lam for 40 days before members of the Peace Abbey finally cornered her and negotiated a $1 fee with the slaughterhouse to keep her. Since then, Emily led a life of ease in the lap of heifer luxury -- sleeping in the Peace Abbey's warm barn with all the hay she could eat. Earlier this year, however, tragedy came calling. In February, Emily was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and within weeks, officials decided not to undergo an experimental regimen of surgery and chemotherapy. The 10-year-old cow was found dead in her pen Sunday. "Emily was an amazing creature that blessed the lives of thousands and helped countless people on their journey to vegetarianism," Abbey members wrote in a message posted on the center's Web site. Many who attended a memorial for Emily yesterday remembered her as an animal with an uncanny ability to touch people's lives. "I first met Emily when Kaia was about 8 months old," Mary Corthell of Dover said, nodding toward her 5-year-old daughter. "She was what they called an `unsettled child.' "(But) I will never forget what happened...(Emily) put her head right through the bars and put her face right up to Kaia and gave her this lick. I expected to hear screaming, but I heard cooing." From that moment on, Corthell said, Emily had a new best friend. "The connection they had was just so special," she said. So special, in fact, Kaia's second birthday party included an Emily shaped cake. She even dressed up as Emily for Halloween. For Sharlet Ramsland, Emily wasn't just an inspiration to become vegetarian: Ramsland and her son Charlie, 5, opened an animal sanctuary to save other animals from slaughter. "She changed us," Ramsland said, as she fought back tears. "She's very powerful." The brave bovine's tale even reached all the way to Hollywood. A film version of the Emily story has been in the works for years, but Ellen Little, president of First Look Pictures, yesterday said they hope to begin pre-production within the next year. "We hope the film will be part of her legacy," said Little after learning of Emily's death. "She has affected already so many people's lives, and we hope this will continue with the film. I'm just sorry it didn't happen in her lifetime." Most who attended last night's memorial, however, agreed with the sentiment of Richie Balanca, a former student at the Peace Abbey's school who formed a fast bond with Emily. As a wide grin played across his face, Balanca said simply, "I love Emily." |