AMARGOSA VALLEY, Nev. (AP) - A massive steer named Herman that was rescued from slaughter for $600 and became the unofficial mascot of rural Amargosa Valley has died after being diagnosed with cancer of the eye.
Owner Jim Marsh decided to put down the 3,000-pound bovine on July 25, after Herman stopped eating and lost hundreds of pounds, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
"We were giving him medication and making him feel good," said Monica Chavez, manager of the Longstreet Inn and Casino, where Herman attracted the attention of tourists along the highway to Death Valley.
Putting him down "was bad, but it was the best thing we could do for him," Chavez said.
Herman was about 8 years old and stood 6 feet 4 inches from hoofs to withers.
He was born at a nearby dairy and briefly kept as a pet. He was later sent to Beatty, where he was being fattened for a future on a barbecue.
That's when Marsh, a Las Vegas car dealer known for appearing in commercials with his daughter and grandson, stepped in and bought the steer.
"You hate to see a pet steer end up on your dinner table," the 78-year-old Marsh told the newspaper in October.
As he grew, Herman helped lure Death Valley-bound tourists into the remote Longstreet Inn and Casino on the edge of Nye County. His fame skyrocketed after he was profiled by the Review-Journal last year.
"He was just friendly," Chavez said. "He was more like a big dog than a cow."
But he suffered because of his size, struggling with arthritis and swollen knees.[[In-content Ad]]
