Animal shot dead on street in Ballymahon after 'escape' from vet

Gardai were in attendance at an incident in Ballymahon this week during which an animal, believed to be a bullock, was shot dead on a public street.

It's understood that the animal had been taken by a farmer to a vet, and had then escaped from the vet.

The incident happened at approximately 8am on Wednesday of this week, August 13, and a short video clip of it has since been circulating on WhatsApp.

A representative of Longford Gardai confirmed to the Westmeath Independent that the Gardai had been called to the incident in order to provide assistance from a public safety perspective.

"The Gardai were in attendance to assist the vet and the farmer in neutralising the problem, for the want of a better word," the local Garda representative said.

The video clip of the incident shows the animal being felled with a single shot as it moved towards a man who was standing behind a car on what appears to be a residential street in Ballymahon.

In response to questions about the incident, a Garda press office spokesperson said today: "As this matter was handled by a local veterinarian, no further information is available."