Days after what was initially reported as eight bulls escaped a parking lot rodeo in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, the town has shared how the animals got out.
No charges are expected to be filed in response to what happened, the town said Wednesday, though North Attleborough is working with the rodeo to recover costs associated with its emergency response.
What let the bulls escape was a pin that dislodged from their corrals when two of the animals jumping on each other during their unloading from a trailer, the town said in a statement. The bulls then pushed the fence down and escaped, first into the space where the event was taking place, then through a perimeter fence and out into the parking lot.
That was determined when members of the rodeo and the Emerald Square Mall met with a group of officials from across town departments on Tuesday to discuss what happened.
The event organizers, who had shared their plans during the permitting process ahead of the rodeo, were found to have taken reasonable precautions, the town said in a statement, noting, "the incident was not due to negligence."
However, both the rodeo and the town are planning on changes based on what happened, according to Wednesday's update:
Rodeo organizers have since identified additional safeguards to reinforce their fencing and mitigate any future issues related to their fences. Representatives from the mall have also committed to attending future Special Events Working Group meetings to ensure all parties are collaborating on events and that all lease and specific town requirements are adhered to. In the future, the Special Events Working Group will also consult subject matter experts for events that are out of the ordinary where the town has no applicable staff expertise.
The bulls' escape on Sunday at about 12:30 p.m. made national news, both because seven of the bulls made it all the way into neighboring Attleborough — running through traffic, by several stores, down multiple streets into the woods behind a restaurant. Six of the animals were corralled at a home hours later, but took another day for the last bull to be caught.
North Attleborough's statement said that investigators later found that only seven, not eight, bulls got out.
Chris Mooney, whose backyard on Prospect Street was where the six bulls were corralled, said he and his kids couldn't believe his eyes at first.
“As I looked out my window real quick, I thought I saw a horse, and I was like, 'Why is there a horse over here?' So I go out my front door and all of a sudden I see six bulls coming straight down the street," Mooney said.
“At first I just felt bad for the bulls. I’m like, 'They escaped for a reason' ... I just wanted them to be safe," Attleboro resident Gee Sounthonevat said.
The North Attleboro Fire Department said in a Facebook post Monday night that the last remaining bull has been safely captured.
No injuries were reported in connection with the bulls' escape.
