WHATELY — A bull that escaped from an auction Tuesday afternoon was put down by its owner out of concern for public safety on Wednesday.
The decision was made after unsuccessful attempts to find and wrangle the bull, an animal that police described as aggressive.
The bull couldn’t be found Tuesday, but by Wednesday morning, the police received multiple calls from people who had spotted the animal on Long Plain Road. Out of precaution, the nearby elementary school did not let kids out for recess.
At around 10 a.m., the bull was found in the wooded area behind the elementary school. With the owner of the bull present, the police were unable to wrangle the animal.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years — you always run into rabid animals, but not a public safety concern like this,” Whately Police Chief James Sevigne said.
The owner decided it was best to put down his bull using a rifle. He followed state law on how to put down the animal and what to do with it after, Sevigne said.
Since the bull was near the elementary school and was aggressive in its nature, Sevigne said police would have handled the situation in the same manner to protect the public’s safety.
“If we got to the point where the bull had taken off and jeopardized someone’s safety, we would’ve taken action anyway,” Sevigne said.
It was an unusual occurrence for Sevigne, who said that the Northampton Cooperative Auction Association, which holds a livestock auction on Tuesdays, typically does not have any issues.
“It was just an unfortunate thing,” Sevigne said. “It wasn’t something intentional.”
You can reach
Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 264