The calf of a ‘famous’ Bulgarian cow, who avoided execution after accidentally crossing into another country, has been named after an East Anglian politician.
Penka the cow made headlines in 2018 after EU officials decided she had to be killed after she wandered away from her home farm in Bulgaria and crossed into neighbouring Croatia.
John Flack, who was MEP for the East of England at the time, jumped to her defence calling for the execution order to be quashed.
Reports now say that Penka's owner, Ivan Haralampiev - who lives in the village of Kopilovtsi in Bulgaria - has decided to name Penka's calf John, after Mr Flack, to show his appreciation.
Mr Flack said: "I have only seen the reports on Twitter, but on the face of it this is a lovely thing for Ivan to do. I am humbled and honoured.
"I hope Penka continues to have a happy life and that John grows into a big, strong steer that Ivan can be proud of. And let's hope they both stay on the farm with no more adventures."
Mr Flack led an international outcry over the death sentence.
He successfully appealed to Bulgaria's president and EU leaders for a relaxation of rules on cross-border movement of animals so that Penka could be spared.
In June last year he visited Penka on her farm in the village of Kopilovtsi and was thanked personally by Mr Haralampiev.
An online petition to stop the killing of the animal also gained over 30,000 signatures.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here