Animal rights group PETA Australia is calling on authorities to ensure the cows famously stranded after Monday's earthquake are taken to a sanctuary to avoid slaughter and retire.
The two Hereford cows and a calf were stuck on an island-like verge after the 7.5 magnitude quake, but managed to be rescued by farmers on Tuesday.
"Now that they are back on solid ground, their future safety is shaky at best," says associate director of campaigns Ashley Fruno.
"Whether used for their milk or their flesh, in the end all cows are crammed onto trucks and transported to abattoirs where their throats are slit and they are skinned and gutted.
"PETA is calling on the farmer to allow these animals to live out the rest of their lives in peace at a sanctuary, instead of being torn into pieces."
The cows gained worldwide attention after Newshub captured aerial footage of them stuck on the island.
Farmer Derrick Millton said a team of people helped dig a track to bring the cows down, and that they were dehydrated and stressed.
"We dug a track with a number of people. The soil was quite soft because it had all been tipped over and bumbled around; we managed to get a track in and bring them out," he says.
"They desperately needed water. Cows don't like living without water so that was the first requirement, and I think one or two had lost calves in the earthquake so they were a bit distressed."
Hereford cows are a cattle breed used primarily for beef.
Newshub.
