A pregnant cow that wandered over the EU border has been sentenced to death. Penka walked away from her near the Bulgarian village of Kopilovtsi and crossed into Serbia across the border which is a non-EU country. The cow was deemed fit by Serbian vets and was returned to its owner, Ivan Haralampiev. However, according to AFP, Bulgarian officials said that the cow should be treated according to EU rules.

A veterinary expert, Lyubomir Lyubomirov, told AFP, "It is not for us to decide. We are only implementing rules that come from Brussels." John Flack, a Conservative MEP, has written to the prime minister of Bulgaria, Boyko Borissov, and the president of the European Union, Antonio Tajani. He added saying, "Surely this is a case where pragmatism should prevail over a strict reading of the rules."

According to the European Commission guidelines, cows must be presented at border checkpoints with documents stating that they are healthy. It reads, "The certification must accompany the animals en route to the EU and when they are presented for entry into the EU at an approved EU Border Inspection Post."

The incident has garnered a lot of attention and now a petition on change.org is urging the European Parliament to make an exception in Penka's case. The petition reads, "We believe that Penka’s case reflects a lack of compassion on the part of EU officialdom for everyday people, such as Penka’s owner, who is absolutely distraught."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 03, 2018 10:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).