450kg sacrificial cow plunges into river in Indramayu

INDRAMAYU — A cow intended for sacrifice at Masjid Baitul Muslimin in Lobener Village, Jatibarang District, Indramayu Regency, West Java, plunged into a river in front of the mosque. Firefighters were deployed to evacuate the 450kg animal. The incident on Tuesday evening (26 May 2026) drew widespread attention from local residents.

Jajat Wibisono, head of the fire department at Indramayu Regency’s Satpol PP, said that according to mosque administration, the sacrificial cow accidentally slipped into the river shortly after being unloaded from a pickup truck. At the time, the male brown cow was tied to a tree in front of Masjid Baitul Muslimin.

“The tree was positioned near the river,” Jajat said yesterday.

Suddenly, the cow’s hind legs slipped into the river while the rest of its body remained above the water, causing it to hang with its neck strangled by the rope still tied to the tree.

To prevent the cow from dying, the rope was cut, allowing the entire body to fall into the river. Efforts by mosque officials and locals to rescue the animal failed, prompting them to request firefighter assistance.

Firefighters responded immediately, using a ranger vehicle to pull the sacrificial cow out of the one-metre-deep, muddy, and debris-filled river.

“The evacuation process took approximately 1.5 hours. Alhamdulillah, the cow was successfully rescued,” he said.

The cow was confirmed safe despite being covered in black mud and was subsequently handed over to the mosque’s sacrifice committee.