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Beloved Baby Cow Statue Rustled From Yard, Leaving Kids Udderly Devastated

By Linze Rice | June 5, 2017 3:08pm
 A beloved baby calf statue was stolen from a neighborhood block over the weekend, leaving its many fans stunned and saddened. 
Stolen Cow
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EDGEWATER — Residents of a small block on the border of Edgewater and Andersonville are in shock and mourning this week after discovering one of their own has gone missing: a beloved baby cow statue.

For the last eight years, Steve Satek and partner Dean Hervochon's mother-and-calf fiberglass set has delighted neighbors of all ages who walk past the pair, serving as both a geographic marker in the area but also growing into a treasured member of the community.

"It's sad," Satek said. "I try not to get attached to too many material things, but it's more the fact that people really enjoy it."

The cows, originally bought at a state auction in Michigan, are stationed in the lush parkway next to the couple's home at the corner of Paulina Street and Rosehill Avenue and fastened to a nearby tree trunk with chains similar to those used to lock a bike.

Satek said he last saw the pair around midnight Saturday, but when he looked out to see them at 7 a.m. the next morning, the calf was gone and only its cut cord lay in its place.

The mother cow without her baby. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]

They filed a police report and began printing and posting signs around their home urging neighbors to keep an eye for a "CATTLE THIEF!!!" lurking the neighborhood. 

Satek said because the cows are such a fixture on the block, he guesses the perpetrator was from outside the neighborhood and had targeted the cow specifically.

Not only that, but someone needed to come equipped with bolt cutters to slice its cord and a vehicle big enough to fit the cow inside. 

Police said no one is in custody for the theft, but told the couple to keep watch on Craigslist for someone trying to sell it.

"I highly doubt it's somebody in the neighborhood because it's a pretty unanimous love for these things," Satek said. "I have no idea why they would do it; it's weird because it is such a loved thing."

When Satek and Hervochon began sharing a post about the stolen calf on social media, the pair said they were flooded with an "outpouring" of support from upset neighbors, many of whom commented on the post with their own personal photos of family members riding, petting and kissing the cows over the years. 

Rebecca Olson said that for her 2½-year-old daughter, the cows have become a regular "destination" while out and about since growing up around them — even learning to say "moo" and "cow" as she'd roll by in her stroller.

"When I told her the baby went missing, she kept repeating, 'We have to find her! I don't see her anywhere!' and put us on a hunt around the block," Olson said. "I didn't have the heart to tell her what happened. I told her the baby cow went to visit a farm."

Satek said a day rarely goes by when he doesn't spot passersby taking a photo of, or with, the cow. 

Megan Brennan Ahsmann, another mom, said though her family recently moved out of the neighborhood, they have many pictures and happy memories of visiting the cows. 

She posted a picture on Satek's post of her son giving the calf a kiss.

Megan Brennan Ahsmann's son kissing the baby cow. [Provided/Megan Brennan Ahsmann]

Satek said the next morning, his heart was broken seeing a little girl cry over the cow's absence. 

"It really affects the kids in the neighborhood, and that's what makes me really sad," he said. "Whether they're doing this for profit or as a prank, whatever they did, they're just not realizing it's affecting some happiness and some kids."

In the past, the cows have been tipped over from time to time, but never vandalized or stolen, its owners said. 

They decided to keep the statues out on the parkway despite having ample space in their backyard so that others could enjoy them, Satek said. 

Fashioned with a neon green scarf, mama cow now stands alone among trees and blooming flowers.

Satek said he hopes the cow is brought home safely, and is willing to offer a reward of up to $100 for either information leading to its return, or, the return itself. 

Other neighbors, like Olson, said they know it's only a fiberglass statue of a cow, but its a meaningful symbol and rite of passage for many in the neighborhood. 

"I hope the thieves find it in their hearts to undo this, even if quietly in the middle of the night again to remain anonymous," Olson urged. "I just have to think they had no idea how affected people would be by this silly act."

Rebecca Olson and her daughter playing with both beloved cows. [Provided/Rebecca Olson]The wires that once held the calf in place. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]Have you seen this cow? [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]