‘Aggressive’ Beefalo — yes, a Beefalo — escapes Massachusetts meat plant, goes on lam

UPDATE: Plymouth Police announced April 14 , 2021, the Beefalo was captured with the help of a community tracking effort. “He will be transported to Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary in Gainesville, Florida,” the department said.

In what some might call an act of rebellion, a “highly aggressive” steer escaped from a Massachusetts meat processing plant and has become Public Enemy No. 1 in the Plymouth area.

A safety alert was issued Thursday by the Plymouth Police, warning drivers to be on the lookout for a very mean 2,000-pound Beefalo — a special breed that is part domestic cattle and part buffalo (bison).

“We are asking everyone traveling in this area to do so with caution,” Plymouth Police said in a news release posted on Facebook. “This animal can be aggressive and can potentially cause serious injuries. If you see this animal, do not approach and call 911.”

The Beefalo has been on the lam for two weeks, police said. It successfully managed to blend into the scenery until earlier this week, when someone reported seeing it in the woods, according to police

“A second sighting occurred during the midnight shift on August 26 when Plymouth Police Officers encountered it adjacent to RTE 72 travel lanes,” the release said. “As officers attempted to take control of the animal, it demonstrated behavior as if it was going to charged, putting its head down and scratching the ground.”

The officers wisely “moved away” and the Beefalo “retreated into the woods.” It hasn’t been seen since, police said.

Plymouth Police have posted multiple warnings about the Beefalo on social media in the past two days, leading to a lot of bad puns. Some have called the story “a bunch of bull,” while others pledged they would “steer” clear of any “mad cow” that had a “beef” with authorities.

“Perhaps it’s a mutant,” Isis Chen posted on the police department’s Facebook page. “Maybe there’s a mad scientist that created it.”

There’s an element of truth to that. Beefalo are not a traditional mating of the two species, but are a genetic creation that is “3/8 bison and 5/8 domestic cattle,” according to the USDA.

This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 3:27 PM.