ROBESON TWP., Pa.- Police say the size and the way the bison were aggressive was just concerning.
On Friday, police say one male bull and four female bison escaped from a farm in Robeson Township.
The police and the farmer quickly tracked down the animals and attempted to corral them back towards the farm.
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,” said Cumru Township Police Chief Madison Winchester.
Two bison, one male and one female, were shot by the police and the farmer, but they were successful herding the remaining three bison back to the farm safely.
Kevin Guldin of Oley Valley Feed says, “Cattle escape all the time. And so bison also do.”
It’s not the first time we’ve seen something like this in Berks County. Back in 2020, two Asian water buffaloes strolled around the southside of Reading.
“They could get excited and they’ll pretty much break through a lot of stuff,” says Guldin. Guldin says once bison are loose, they’re hard to control.
“If they don’t want to go that way and it’s not their idea, you pretty much can’t make them. They can do quite some damage. I mean, they’re 2,000 pounds.”
Guldin says you shouldn’t try to contain any large animal on your own. “Don’t attempt to do anything. Call the authorities or call animal control, someone like that, because you can’t do it on your own.”