News

The Littleton Bull Is Still on the Loose

A 1,200 pound bull continues to elude the authorities.

Three days into his epic journey, the Littleton bull is still on the loose.

The 1,200 pound escapee has eluded authorities since he slipped out of a livestock auction on Tuesday. The bull evaded capture in Groton, and was last spotted in a wooded and marshy area in Ayer on Wednesday. Police say on Facebook they notified neighbors with a “Code Red alert” that “the bull is still out there and probably taking a well deserved nap out of sight.”

Police and cattle farmers are reportedly collaborating in their efforts to apprehend the bull, but, police say. “So far, all attempts at capturing it have been unsuccessful,” they say. News choppers have been swarming over the Littleton and Ayer area in such numbers that local police have been letting neighbors know what’s up.

Those who see the bull are advised not to approach it—doing so might spook the animal and send it fleeing into the woods or cause it to get aggressive—and are asked instead contact authorities in Littleton at 978-540-2300 or in Ayer at 978-772-8200 ext. 0.

Naturally, a Twitter account for the wayward bull has already been created. And according to the fictionalized thoughts of the escapee, life is good on the lam.


The social media-savvy farm animal also offered some support to a comrade llama in New Hampshire that made its way onto a golf course.

After all this exposure, the bull appears to have caught the attention of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The organization, which advocates for more people to forego eating meat and adopt a vegan lifestyle, has offered to pay to transport the bull to the Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Wantage, New Jersey.

“PETA is calling on the owners to allow this spirited animal to live out his days in peace—and Farm Sanctuary and Skylands Animal Sanctuary & Rescue are ready to take him in,” the group says in an emailed statement. “No animal should be killed and hacked apart for the fleeting taste of brisket or burgers, and anyone who cares about this bull can help more than 100 animals like him every year simply by going vegan.”

Well, let’s just hope that the bull makes it out of this alive. The Littleton Independent reports that the last time a bull escaped the livestock auction, in 2014, it became aggressive enough that police had to shoot and kill it.

Stay safe out there, big guy.