Two bison were shot and killed after escaping from a Cumru Township farm Friday.
Cumru Police Chief Madison Winchester said the department received a call from the owner of the farm around 8:45 a.m. informing officers that one bull and four cows had escaped their enclosure and were roaming the woods along Fawn Drive west of Green Hills.
Winchester said the farmer warned officers that attempts to guide the animals back to their pasture could cause them to become agitated and that it may be necessary to kill them if that should happen.
“He told us the bull was very aggressive and we would most likely have to shoot it,” he said.
Winchester said that when police arrived they found four of the bison in close proximity to a residence. As one of the officers was in the process of telling the residents to stay inside, the bull began grunting and approaching the officer.
“At that point, the officer was forced to fire a round from his rifle into the bull which stopped him but was not lethal because of the sheer size of the animal,” the police chief said. “But the bull was injured so we made the decision to ensure the animal would not suffer by putting him down.”
Winchester said that after the shots were fired the farmer attempted to corral the three cows toward their pasture. A short while later, he said officers heard a shot. They were informed that the farmer had shot one of the cows.
“The farmer told us he shot the female because she kept trying to come back to the area where our officers were and he couldn’t allow the bison to be in a position to hurt anyone,” he said.
The remaining cows were directed back to the farm and secured, Winchester said.