An immediate cessation of funding and a stern rebuke from the ethics committee.
Explanation: This joke humorously plays on the absurdity of crossing a cow with an octopus, setting up the expectation for a quirky hybrid animal. Instead, the punchline shifts to a more serious outcome, referencing an “ethics committee” that would stop such an experiment due to its bizarre nature. The contrast between the initial setup and the official, stern response creates a clever and unexpected punchline, making it funny through its unexpected formality.