Cow arrested for killing a boy in South Sudan

The bull is now under arrest at a police station. In a shocking development, a cow has been arrested in South Sudan after it allegedly killed a 12-year-old boy.

The beast’s owner was also taken in by the police, the Independent reports.

The bull was walking near a farm in the evening last week when it repeatedly gored the child, killing him on the spot, police confirmed. The animal had been pulling a plough in Lakes State, in the centre of South Sudan.

Police spokesperson Major Elijah Mabor told local media:

The bull is now under arrest at a police station in Rumbek Central County. The boy was taken to hospital for post-mortem, and he was taken home for burial.

This is not the first time an animal has been arrested in South Sudan. Last month, a ram in the same state killed a 45-year-old woman. Adhieu Chaping was repeatedly headbutted in the ribs by the ram and later succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the attack.

The ram was swiftly captured and taken into custody. After the arrest, police said the ram deserved to be arrested.

Last week, the sheep was sent to a military camp for three years, where it will be in custody and made to work hard as part of their sentence for murder.

According to South Sudanese law, any domestic animal that kills a person is automatically given as compensation to the victim’s family, meaning Chaping’s family will receive the ram once it has served its three-year sentence.

The local court also fined the ram’s owner, Duony Manyang Dhal, five cows, which must be surrendered to the victim’s family.

In South Sudan, livestock is the preferred form of currency used to buy homes and pay dowries and compensation for wrongdoing, including murder; hence they hold a significant cultural and spiritual significance.