Escapee ‘Buddy the beefalo’ settles in NCFL after months on the run

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - America’s favorite beefalo is settling down in North Central Florida nicely after his time on the run. You can find Buddy on Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary sandwiched between his new heard members, but if it wasn’t for his escape-artist-like talents, he easily could’ve been sandwiched between two hamburger buns.

RELATED STORY: Escaped Connecticut beef-a-lo set to live out final days in Gainesville

The steaks were high when the bison and cow hybrid was on his way to a slaughterhouse in Connecticutt last August, but he managed to escape. Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary Founder and President, Erin Amerman, said it took eight months and several capture attempts by the Plymouth police before he was finally caught.

“Buddy ended up being quite determined to not be captured,” said Amerman. “He wound up finding some cows who were in heat, and so he was looking for love basically, so he ended up jumping into a pen and they were able to contain him.”

After moo-ving the hearts of people across the country, there was no way buddy was going back on the chopping block. More than 8,000 dollars was raised for him to live out the rest of his life in peace at Critter Creek.

“Now his journey was finally almost over,” said Amerman.

But being the legendary escapee he is, Buddy had to give them at least one run for their money.

“He immediately jumped out of the quarantine pen and jumped into the horse’s pen,” said Amerman. “We did manage to get him back into a pen from which he promptly then again escaped.”

Now after two months of no escape attempts, Buddy is fully settled and his dream of running free is a reality as he shares more than a hundred acres with cows, a bison, and a buffalo.

“He just seems very at peace with them, and just seems like he’s enjoying his life,” said Amerman.

Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary’s mission is to promote compassion for farm animals through rescue and education.

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