Police search for missing bull in Roslindale

Boston police are searching for a bull on the loose in Roslindale. Authorities first received reports of the animal on the loose more than a week ago, but the city's animal control department has yet to locate it.

GBH All things Considered Host Arun Rath spoke with Craig LeMoult to get the latest on this story. The following is a lightly edited transcript.

Arun Rath: So, Craig, how did this all start?

Craig LeMoult: Well, on Saturday, June 22nd, the Boston Police Department received a very unusual call. I got the police scanner audio from that time. Here's a little excerpt.

[playback of police scanner]

Unidentified voice 1: Yeah, I just got a call to the police about a bull on American Legion Highway near the Walgreens. There's a family of five chasing the bull.

Unidentified voice 2: What do you have there? A bull, you said?

Unidentified voice 1: A cow, a bull. They said a bull, a baby bull, or something like that.

[playback ends]

LeMoult: It's a little hard to hear, but the report said: A bull was in the Walgreens parking lot on American Legion Highway and was being chased by a family of five with a moving truck. They later said they thought the bull had been hit by the moving truck.

Rath: Do we have any idea of ​​its scale?

LeMoult: Yes, this was mentioned in the police scanner audio tape a little later after the animal control officers arrived.

[playback of police scanner tape]

Unidentified voice: Animal control said they had their eyes on him and he was a pretty good-sized bull.

[playback ends]

LeMoult: The police recorded that the bull ran off into the woods and was not found. In fact, I looked around. It's a surprisingly large wooded area.

After that, the animal was spotted several times, including while walking on Hyde Park Avenue.

Rath: So there is a missing bull. Does anyone know where it came from? Has anyone reported a missing bull?

LeMoult: The city's Animal Control and Protection Bureau declined to provide an interview on the matter. In an emailed statement, however, it said: “The bull escaped from a resident who was unaware that livestock, with the exception of licensed chickens, are not permitted in the City of Boston.”

They told me that no tickets were issued, which makes it a little harder to find the resident who owned the bull. And it's not clear that the family of five who were chasing the bull with their moving truck were somehow responsible. I'd say it's a definite possibility.

Rath: Craig, it's been over a week and they still haven't found the bull?

LeMoult: Yes, that’s right. The animal control spokesperson said in that statement that despite multiple searches over the past few days — including the use of a thermal drone — they have been unable to locate the bull. While it seems a little crazy that a bull could evade capture for so long, I spoke today with Bob Skalbite, he’s the director of farms at the UMass Center for Agriculture, and he said cows can be sneaky:

Bob Skalbite: Think about how often hunters in the woods don't see a moose until it's right on top of them, right? So that's another very large animal. Same with bears. If they can find cover and lie down, you might not see it.

LeMoult: He stressed that if he had been hit by that U-Haul truck, there was a chance he would have died from his injuries and his body simply would not have been found.

Rath: So what to do if you see the bull?

LeMoult: Well, Bob Skalbite said to give him space, of course. Don't try to get close to him. Don't scare him. Leave him alone.

The city's animal control office is asking anyone who finds the bull, or sees it, to call 311.