By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
VERO BEACH, Fla. — An escaped bull lifted the front of an SUV as Florida deputies tried to corral it, video shows.
The surreal moment was a rescue mission of sorts, since the bull was in the process of head-butting a man around the field like a soccer ball.
It happened Saturday, Jan. 13, after the bull got free and went on a rampage near Vero Beach South, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were called when the bull started posing a threat to passing drivers in the rural area approximately 105 miles southeast of Orlando.
“It took deputies and cowboys nearly two hours to contain the bull, but not before it charged both people and vehicles,” the sheriff’s office said.
“The bull was ultimately immobilized using tranquilizer darts.”
It took two darts to slow the bull, and even then deputies were advised to “give him a minute (to) let him calm down.”
Deputies are heard declaring the bull “not very friendly” and downright “stubborn” in the video.
One deputy tried using a whip to control the bull, and it completely ignored the snaps and cracks, video shows.
“Thanks to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office Ag Unit and their special tools, no one, including the bull, was injured in this incident,” the sheriff’s office said.
The bull was loaded onto a trailer and taken to its paddock while immobilized, officials said.
—
©2024 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.