Bulls on the loose: Final rodeo bovine captured

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. — The last of eight bulls that had escaped from a Massachusetts rodeo was captured but not before it charged a man who was trying to corral the animal.

The bull was captured on Monday night and it was caught on video shared with WFXT.

The bull lifted a hoof, reared back and charged the man who was trying to wrangle the animal. The man fell to the ground, but it is not known if he was hurt.

The bull was on the run for about 36 hours before it was captured not far from the mall where it escaped. The animal was part of a rodeo that had been set up at the Emerald Square Mall in North Attleboro on Sunday.

Eight bulls escaped, but one was captured shortly after getting out of its holding area. The seven others ran behind a restaurant and through the neighborhood.

Six others were cornered behind a home’s fence after about four hours on the run. The eighth and final bull was captured Monday evening, The North Attleboro Fire Department shared on Facebook.

The bulls escaped after a pin dislodged in the fence when two bulls jumped on each other while being unloaded from a trailer, facilitating their escape, North Attleboro Town Manager Michael Borg said.

“From there, the bulls pushed down the fence with the dislodged pin, escaped from their pen into the event space, knocked down a perimeter fence, and fled from the parking lot,” Borg said in a news release, according to WFXT. “Subsequent investigation determined that the event organizers took reasonable precautions, and that the incident was not due to negligence.”

The rodeo had been approved by town officials and had the needed permits to operate. But rodeo operators said they are taking steps to make sure the animals are not able to escape again.

“Rodeo organizers have since identified additional safeguards to reinforce their fencing and mitigate any future issues related to their fences,” Borg said. “Representatives from the mall have also committed to attending future Special Events Working Group meetings to ensure all parties are collaborating on events and that all lease and specific town requirements are adhered to.”

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