Wandering Paws K9's Samantha Beckman with the recaptured bull. Photo: Courtesy of Wandering Paws K9
Updated 9/24/24 5:05 p.m.
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — With the help of police, cowboys, and a high-flying drone, the last of eight bulls that escaped from a rodeo in North Attleboro was safely captured Monday night.
The bulls escaped from a pen during a rodeo outside the Emerald Square Mall on Sunday afternoon. The moment went viral after video captured the bulls plowing through fences.
One of the bulls was caught shortly after the getaway while six of the bulls were found about four hours after the incident, stuck behind a fence. They were then corralled into a trailer. But one bull was still on the loose and Wandering Paws K9's Samantha Beckman was determined to find him.
"I was like 'let me just see what I can do.' So I had gotten my equipment, went over to the last known location or direction that they were heading to, not really knowing anything else," Beckman said.
Wandering Paws K9 is a company that works to track down missing pets using things like thermal drones and search dogs.
"I put up my drone and I found that bull in 20 minutes," Beckman said.
Bull captured on drone footage. Photo: Courtesy of Samantha Beckman, Wandering Paws K9
He was sleeping in the woods, presumably tired from his adventure. Wandering Paws K9 sent police a QR code from the drone with the exact location of the bull. Police and rodeo cowboys came to the woods to wrangle him in, but the wayward bull had other plans and a cinematic chase ensued.
The bull darted from the woods onto Allen Avenue before running onto Newport Avenue and other streets, even weaving through traffic on Route 1.
"It was like a movie," Beckman said.
The bull ended up at the Emerald Square Mall. Beckman became worried about public safety after the bull ran into the parking garage. "I was hoping nobody was going to get hurt," she said.
Eventually, crews managed to get to get the bull into a trailer. New England Rodeo, which operates out of Norton, helped with the rescue. While the escaped bulls were not theirs, they still wanted to pitch in, said Kelly Pina, strategic adviser at New England Rodeo.
Pina said the bull was tired and docile at the end of the chase and was roped and went into the trailer without incident.
While safety was a concern, Pina said the bulls were more like “lost dogs," animals that are cared for and loved.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App | TikTok