Discover How a Herd of Bison Suddenly Invaded a Baltimore Neighborhood

You hardly expect to see a herd of bison roaming around a suburban neighborhood, but that is exactly what happened to the residents of Pikesville in Baltimore. A total of nine huge bovines had escaped from a nearby farm, which was three miles away! For two hours the massive animals caused complete chaos as the cops figured out how on earth to deal with them. The local police department was not exactly experienced in herding huge bovines! Nevertheless, the officers were resourceful enough to make use of a local tennis court, where they held them until the farmer arrived. They used lounge chairs and formed a human chain to move the huge animals around. Once the farmer arrived, it took four hours to get the herd into a trailer. In all, it had taken many police officers, a dozen police cars, and a helicopter to resolve the situation!

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How Big Do Bison Normally Get?

American bison are huge animals! The largest can be over 12 feet in length and they can stand over 6 feet in height to the shoulder. This makes them a lot more challenging to handle than a domestic cow. Their stand-out features are a prominent shoulder hump and a huge head!

These guys are also very heavy. An adult male can weigh over 1,900 pounds. That weight is bad enough when it is stationary but can do a lot of damage when moving. Despite their huge size, bison can run at over 35 miles per hour! And believe it or not, they can swim!

How Do Bison Normally Behave?

The police department was understandably concerned about such large animals roaming around a suburban neighborhood. The National Parks Service describes the bison’s temperament as ‘unpredictable.’ A lot of the time, they can be peaceful and can appear to ignore humans. However, they have also been known to attack without warning. Some bison become accustomed to seeing humans near them and will tolerate human attention. It is important that you do not mistake this for affection. Bison are not friendly!

How Easy Are Bison to Farm?

On the face of it, bison are similar to domestic cattle. They are ruminants with a four-chambered stomach, they live in herds, and they eat grass. However, they need to be treated more like a wild animal than a domestic one. Bison need infrastructure and handling techniques that keep stress to a minimum. They also have some different behaviors -wallowing is one of the most common. Bison create muddy hollows in the middle of pasture and roll around in it! This helps to protect their skin and removes parasites.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/htrnr