Catalans campaign to save Margarita the pet cow from slaughter

May 29 (UPI) -- Animal-loving Catalans started a campaign last week to save a pet cow from being slaughtered.

More than 183,000 people signed a petition as of Monday to stop agriculture authorities from killing 4-year-old Margarita the cow in Tortosa, Spain.

Animal rights group El Hogar ProVegan said Margarita was targeted after authorities discovered she is an unregistered animal. A law in the European Economic Community reportedly "seeks to ensure that all unidentified cattle are killed."

"She's an orphaned baby cow who has never harmed anyone or anything, and she has a death sentence because the authorities apply the law as if she belonged on a livestock farm," El Hogar said in the petition.

Margarita is a breed of cow frequently used for bullfighting, but was given away as a baby to a farmer in Tortosa, a city in Catalonia, Spain, who said he kept her as only a pet. Residents often stop to pet and feed the cow in her field.

Local media reported authorities postponed Margarita's slaughter Friday in order to examine the animal's history. El Hogar hopes Margarita will be allowed "to live happily and peacefully" in its animal sanctuary.