KENT, Conn. — A Scottish Highland bull has become a local sensation in the hilly countryside of western Connecticut after it escaped and has been wandering for over a month in the harsh winter conditions.
Residents have been sharing sporadic sightings of the bull, with reports becoming more frequent in the past week, according to Lee Sohl, the animal control officer in Kent. Notably, the bull was spotted just across the town line in New Milford recently.
“People keep seeing it without realizing that there’s an active search going on,” Sohl mentioned in a phone conversation on Thursday. “Whenever someone contacts me about a sighting, I relay the information to the owner, who makes a prompt effort to find it. Yet, the task is quite challenging, especially in this weather, and the animal is understandably frightened.”
Jo Ann Joray, the bull’s owner, acknowledged that while there have been many volunteers searching for the animal, capturing it has proven elusive.
Images shared on social media by witnesses have sparked various reactions, ranging from sympathy for the lost animal, expressions of its cuteness, to one comment humorously suggesting it would make excellent steaks.
The phenomenon of farm animals wandering loose is not unusual in this region, according to Sohl, who mentioned that cows, horses, and goats occasionally escape their enclosures. “That’s just part of life here,” she remarked.
The tale of this Highland bull brings to mind the story of Buddy, a beefalo who evaded capture for several months while roaming the woods of central Connecticut between 2020 and 2021 after escaping his fate en route to a slaughterhouse. Buddy was eventually caught and relocated to a sanctuary in Florida.
Scottish Highland cattle are recognized for their resilience and are capable of thriving in outdoor conditions year-round, as noted by the Highland Cattle Society in Scotland. This trait bodes well for the bull’s survival as the temperatures in Connecticut have recently plunged below freezing for several consecutive days.
