U.S. Begins Hoofprinting Canadian Cows at Border
(2004-01-06) -- With the dual threats of terror attacks and 'mad cow disease dominating the headlines, the U.S. Department of Barnland Security yesterday implemented heightened border security measures, including hoofprinting and photographing of all cows entering the country from Canada.
On the first day of the intensified process, some cows seemed reluctant to place their hooves on the computer screen and to stand for the photo, but Barnland Security officials said the new measures add only about 20 seconds to the normal border-crossing process.
Canadian bovine-rights advocates protested what they called "xenophobic species-profiling."
"Non-threatening holsteins are treated like criminals just because they're cows and they're Canadian," said an unnamed spokesman for the Bovine Civil Liberties Union (BCLU). "All they want is to be allowed to graze in peace and contribute to the U.S. economy as best they can."