CINCINNATI -- A runaway cow wandered calmly through neighborhoods for 2 ½ hours this morning, but in the end, it wasn't as lucky as the cow that became a national celebrity after it made a similar escape from a local slaughterhouse three years ago.

A worker from Tri-State Beef Company killed the 500-pound cow after it wandered into brush behind Deaconess Hospital in University Heights, News 5's Amy Wagner reported.

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The cow was not fit for consumption after it had been disabled with two tranquilizer darts, the company said.

In all, the cow meandered more than 1 mile after it escaped from the Tri-State slaughterhouse on Baymiller Street in the West End.

The cow escaped about 7:15 a.m., after kicking a door and breaking the lock, News 5 reported.

The cow walked leisurely on Straight, McMillan and Ravine streets, wandering in and out of traffic and slipping through whenever police cars tried to pen it in.

At one point, the cow stood for a few minutes in a yard next to an apartment building, then bolted into a wooded area. Some officers left their cars and followed the cow on foot.

An SPCA official at the scene said the cow was put down as humanely as possible, Wagner reported.

"The animal wasn't really feeling anything (after the tranquilizer shots)," Harold Dates told News 5. "Then the meat company used a captive bolt, which is the same type of device they use at the factory, to kill the animal."

A captive bolt gun drives a steel bolt into the animal's brain.

The slaughterhouse manager told News 5 that the only way to prevent another escape is by installing a double lock. He said workers installed new locks Tuesday afternoon.

Three years ago, another cow jumped a 6-foot slaughterhouse fence and hid out in Mt. Storm Park for 11 days. The situation frustrated police and the SPCA but delighted the public. It got national news coverage and attracted the attention of New York artist Peter Max.

Once the cow was finally captured, Max offered to adopt it and donated $180,000 worth of artwork to the Hamilton County SPCA.

The cow, named Cinci Freedom, lives on a New York farm operated by Farm Sanctuary, a farm animal rescue and protection organization.

"We regret that the cow who was killed today was not given the same chance that Cinci Freedom was three years ago," said Susie Coston, Director of Farm Sanctuary's New York shelter.