(ANSA) - BRUSSELS - Penka, the Bulgarian cow 'escaped' to Serbia and then blocked by customs officers while she was trying to cross the border to go back home, since she did not have the European document necessary for moving livestock from a country to another, has become a case in point.

An appeal was immediately launched, including a hashtag on Twitter #savepenka and online petition on change.org, to ''save Penka'' from the immediate compulsory killing by the Bulgarian phytosanitary authorities and, several media reported, required by EU rules. The cow case was immediately highlighted by the pro-Brexit UK tabloids, such as the Independent, the Telegraph, the Sun and the Daily Mail, also involving the British conservative MEP John Flack, who wrote a letter to both the Bulgarian premier Boyko Borissov and the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, to save Penka's life, who might be pregnant. ''No need to panic on Penka'', said a spokesman for the EU Commission, who was questioned on the imminent killing of the animal. He replied that ''no decision was made to kill'' the cow that, in accordance with the EU rules, is quarantined while ''tests are underway to verify whether the animal healthy, before going back to the herd''.

The fact that the animal may have contracted some disease while she was wandering in Serbia, ''can not be excluded only with a casual check, because some diseases emerge over time and tests have to be carried out, and this is why criticisms arise'' of the matter and the role of EU rules, the spokesperson explained. Penka, owned by Bulgarian farmer Ivan Haralampyev, crossed the border and was later found by another farmer in a Serbian village close to the border, Bosilegrad. Two weeks after her disappearance, Penka's absent minded owner was contacted by the Serbian authorities and asked to get his cow back. While she was going back to her homeland, she was found without the necessary documents, and the odyssey began. (ANSA).