Cape May Zoo's 'Jilly The Cow' Violently Headbutted Teen Girl: Lawsuit

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ — A popular cow at the Cape May County Zoo violently headbutted a teen girl who was posing for a photo with her, causing her serious injuries, according to a recently filed lawsuit.

"Jilly the Cow," the zoo's 10-year-old Holstein cow (the easily recognizable black-and-white dairy cow breed), was part of the petting zoo and "advertised to the public as a friendly petting and feeding attraction" when the incident occurred on Nov. 6, 2021, the lawsuit said.

A 14-year-old girl from Salem County stopped to take a picture with the cow when Jilly "suddenly, and without warning, violently and aggressively swung its head" at her, snapping the girl's head back and knocking her to the ground, the lawsuit said.

As a result, the teen girl "was seriously injured and has suffered and will continue to suffer severe and disabling injuries which are permanent" and required surgery and physical therapy, according to the lawsuit.

The injuries also caused her emotional and psychological pain, the lawsuit said.

The girl, now 16, and her father claim that the county-run zoo and its workers were negligent by not putting up proper barriers and allowing zoo visitors to be close to the cow. The lawsuit names the zoo itself, the zoological society, Middle Township and Cape May County as being "entrusted with the safety and well-being of the patrons at the zoo."

An attorney for the county, Jeffrey R. Lindsay, told NJ Advance Media that the county does not comment on pending litigation.