CUMRU TWP., Pa. – Two bison, one male and one female, are dead after breaking through a fence and escaping their enclosure in Berks County, according to Cumru Township Police.
On Friday, one male bull and four female bison escaped from a farm in Robeson Township where the animals are raised for meat, police say.
Following the breakout, police and the farmer tracked down the bison and took swift action to keep themselves and people nearby safe.
“Our officers arrived on scene and located two female bison and the male bull bison in a residential yard off of the woods,” said Cumru Township Police Chief Madison Winchester.
“The male bison, upon seeing the officer, began to grunt and make aggressive noises and postures and then started to come at the officers. The officer had to make a decision to shoot and kill the male bull,” he said.
Following the first shots fired, the farmer who owns the animals showed up and had to shoot and kill an aggressive female bison.
“They were attempting to herd and corral them back towards the farm, and unfortunately that wasn’t able to be done, and he had to shoot that female bison,” Winchester explained.
Police were able to get the remaining three bison back to the farm safely, where they’re now penned in.
“The size and the way the bison were aggressive was just concerning, and the officer acted incredibly well in this situation,” said Winchester.
Police say the farm is legally allowed to have these bison on the property.
For the employees’ safety, police alerted the staff at Penske Truck Leasing that bison were on the loose near their headquarters in Cumru Township.
“There were cones here blocking the entrance, so I just had someone drive me back home,” said Eesha Jadhev, a Penske Intern.
Cumru Township Police say no people, employees, or residents were harmed, and there was no threat to the community.
To learn more, watch the interview with Cumru Police Chief Madison Winchester below: