Vietnam: Roaming airport bull dies

2012-07-25 10:02

(Shutterstock)

Hanoi — A wandering bull that forced the closure of a Vietnam airport was captured after two days of roaming and later died. Authorities said it may have killed an elderly villager.

The bull was tranquilised on Tuesday afternoon and removed from Phu Bai Airport in the central city of Hue, local chief ranger Nguyen Viet Hoach said. Twelve flights to the tourist destination had been affected.

Local village chief Nguyen Hai said an 85-year-old woman was found dead with severe facial wounds outside her home on Monday afternoon. The bull had been seen in the village and is suspected of butting her.

The animal died on Tuesday evening. Hoach ruled out the possibility that the bull died of a tranquiliser overdose.

He said an autopsy showed that it had heart problems and stomach bleeding, and added that it had suffered from dehydration and exhaustion from roaming the woods that border the airport.

The animal was spotted in the area on Monday morning. Nearly 100 police officers, soldiers and rangers were mobilised to stop the bull from crossing onto the runway.

Airport director Do Chi Thanh said the airport was closed most of Tuesday for safety reasons. Thanh said bulls haven't been spotted in the area before, and it's not clear where the animal came from.

Hue was Vietnam's ancient capital, and its citadel is a Unesco heritage site.

- AP