A dramatic pursuit came to an end on Monday night when a lone bull, one of eight that had escaped from a rodeo in a Massachusetts mall parking lot, was finally caught on U.S. Highway 1 in North Attleboro.
The bull’s capture marked the end of a tense and unpredictable chase that had begun on Sunday when the group of eight bulls broke free from their pens and stampeded through the crowded parking lot of the Emerald Square Mall. The bulls caused chaos, knocking down fencing and bumping against a tent before making a break for the highway and eventually disappearing into the woods.
Seven of the eight bulls were rounded up by late Sunday afternoon, and the Festival Rodeo was subsequently shut down. However, one bull remained at large, prompting a search effort involving a missing pet-tracking business, which used a drone to locate the animal.
Samantha Beckman of Wandering Paws K9, which was called in to assist with the search, described the experience as a first. “I have to say, I’ve never gone out looking for a lost bull before. This is definitely one for the books,” she said.
The final pursuit involved police cruisers, rodeo personnel, and the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing, which worked together to track the bull as it trotted through the woods and near several businesses before it was finally lassoed and led into a trailer.
