Dear Otus,
Whatever happened to that herd of buffalo that escaped in Hot Springs last week? Any chance Hot Springs will have an urban buffalo hunt?
-- William Cody,
Malvern
Dear William,
It was wholly a pleasure to hear from you and to reassure you that the crisis has passed. Well, mostly.
And no hunt is in the offing. Not yet.
Hot Springs, which has a lot more wild and woolly areas than downtown tourists might suspect, took the escape of the six bison April 16 pretty much in stride.
The small herd was caught on cellphone video roaming through some backyards in the Scroggins Terrace subdivision north of Lake Catherine on the afternoon of April 16.
"We're unsure how they escaped from the Shady Acres Farm just south of Hot Springs Country Club," said Cpl. Sonya Marie of the Hot Springs Police Department. "There were no breaks to their fences or anything like that, so it's really unknown at this time how they got released or escaped."
Five of the six were captured relatively quickly, beginning with one hit by a vehicle on Malvern Avenue. It sustained minor injuries and was returned to the farm.
The vehicle, a 2009 Subaru Forester, was a total loss, although the driver walked away uninjured.
The remaining bison were later spotted in Scroggins Terrace grazing on azaleas and fescue. Authorities attempted to tranquilize them but the dosage apparently just made them peckish.
"The Etorphine we were given was obviously not strong enough for the large animals," Marie said. "We're used to large dogs and the occasional stray cow or horse, but buffalo are another matter."
These are actually American wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) and can weigh more than 2,000 pounds. That makes them the largest terrestrial animals in North America. Bison are among the most dangerous animals encountered by visitors to various U.S. and Canadian national parks and will attack humans if provoked.
Bison may appear lumbering and lethargic, but can easily outrun humans and have been observed galloping as fast as 40 miles per hour.
The semi-tranquilized bison were followed to a field near the Dollar General Store on Carpenter Dam Road and four were captured when the Hot Springs Police Department's Emergency Animal Response Team (EART) arrived.
"One of our EART officers has extensive experience and training in cow tipping," Marie said. "He recently graduated from the FBI Bovine Control course at Quantico [Va.] and it was he who slowly approached the buffalo as twilight set in."
Sgt. Kenneth Ray eased up to four of the half-dozing bison and tipped them over one by one, allowing EART to move in. The creatures were roped and led to a slatted 'possum belly trailer for the return to Shady Acres.
Unfortunately, one large bison escaped and was last seen headed under the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway on Shady Grove Road. Authorities had hoped the animal was attempting to return to its farm, but that proved not to be the case.
When dawn broke on the 17th, the bison, named Sparky, was discovered wallowing in the pond on the 519-yard, par 5, 12th hole of the Park Course at the Hot Springs Country Club. Officials were concerned about the damage Sparky could do should he move to one of the course's expensive new bentgrass greens.
When EART arrived, they managed to guide Sparky several hundred yards east to the tennis courts near the 18th green and corral him with a makeshift enclosure made from lawn chairs and orange construction netting.
When Sgt. Ray moved in to attempt to tip Sparky, the bison spun, knocked him down (see photo) and trotted off toward a wooded area across Malvern Avenue. Ray was unhurt.
Authorities lost Sparky on Lakeside Road and believe he may be hiding in the rugged and heavily wooded Gulpha Creek area north of Lakeside High School. It's interesting to note that this is the same area that reported a number of mountain lion sightings several years ago. By playing it low-key, officials hope to avoid the same panic that ensued at that time.
As of this writing (late Thursday afternoon), Sparky has been out of sight for six days.
Until next time, Kalaka reminds you that if you spot Sparky, do not attempt to approach and tip him yourself, but call the EART hotline at (501) 376-8111.
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