A City In North Macedonia Was Overrun By More Than A Thousand Cows
- 15.11.2026, 16:24
They destroy crops and roam the streets.
More than 1,000 cows are roaming freely through the streets of Kriva Palanka in northeastern North Macedonia, destroying crops and farmland, according to Euronews Bulgaria.
The problem arose in 2022, when a local family acquired about 400 cows. Despite an order to confiscate them, the authorities did not seize the animals, and over time, their numbers more than doubled.
Mayor Sasho Mitovski is calling on the government to declare a 30-day state of emergency, warning of threats to traffic, the water supply, and public health.
“We demand that a 30-day state of emergency be declared as the only logical step, since government agencies currently lack sufficient resources to resolve this problem,” a Bulgarian publication quotes him as saying.
According to Mitovski, the livestock population has grown from approximately 400 to more than 1,000 animals over the past four years, reports the Bulgarian TV channel NOVA. The livestock causes damage to local residents, farmland, and municipal property, and also poses a threat to road safety. A fatality linked to uncontrolled grazing has also been reported. Several years ago, in the village of Varovishte, a cow knocked a local woman to the ground. While trying to escape the animal, the woman suffered a heart attack and died on the spot.
Since 2024, the herd has belonged to the Food and Veterinary Products Control Agency, which ordered the animals to be seized but has yet to carry out its own order, the mayor noted.
Last year, several animals died near the city’s main water sources. According to the mayor, this posed a threat of water contamination. At the same time, some local residents blame the situation not on the livestock, but on the authorities, who have failed to resolve the problem. Amid the tension, there have been reports of angry residents beating and even killing cows.
According to Euronews Bulgaria, local residents are accusing government agencies of inaction and threatening to protest. If the problem is not resolved, they intend to block the road to Bulgaria.