HARTFORD, Connecticut — Buddy, the cleaver-fleeing, freedom-loving beefalo that has been wandering the woods of Connecticut for more than eight months, was caught late Tuesday, possibly looking for love.
The half-ton bull had wandered onto a farm in the town of Plymouth and was hanging out with some cows when the farm owner snagged him and eventually got him into a trailer, Plymouth police Capt. Edward Benecchi said Wednesday. Buddy was taken for a full veterinary exam and ultimately is headed for life of ease at a Florida sanctuary, Benecchi said.
The aggressive, horn-lowering, hoof-scratching cross between domestic cattle and bison fled from a local slaughterhouse Aug. 3 as he was being offloaded from a trailer.
Concerned about the public danger Buddy poses, Benecchi has tried various means, including the aid of a state police drone, to corral the beast. On his own time, the committed captain has put out apples, hay, grain and pellets infused with molasses and kept a periodic night watch in a private backyard, where an animal trailer and reinforced steel pen was set up.
Buddy had been to the farm where he was caught on other nights, Benecchi said. The young bull had plenty to eat in the backyard where Benecchi and the resident had set up the steel pen, but it seems Buddy was looking for companionship.
“I don’t know if it was love or friendship,” Benecchi said. “But pesky raccoons can only be so much fun.”
Police have raised money to buy Buddy from his Massachusetts owner. He is to be transported to the Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary in Gainesville, Florida, where Buddy can roam with dozens of other rescued farm animals, including many cows.
Story by Jesse Leavenworth, Hartford Courant.