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Highlands Today

Animal Control Darts Bull In Downtown

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: July 26, 2008

SEBRING - No, really it's true! Anyone thinking they saw a 2,000- pound Black Angus bull in their yard Friday morning probably weren't imagining it.

A call came in to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office dispatch that a bull was seen in a downtown Sebring yard, got a quick response from police and Highlands County Animal Control.

It took four animal control officers, one armed with a dart gun, and four Sebring police officers a little while to get the bull under control as it meandered along the shore of Lake Jackson, across Lakeview Drive, onto the Indian Streets and back to the Lake Jackson shore.

Darryl Scott, director of Highlands County Animal Control, said Friday afternoon that on-call officer Brandon Owens kept track of the bull on foot while Sebring police officers kept an eye on the bull and traffic.

It got close to the road a few times, he said.

The slick-headed bull (no horns), which belongs to Ken Waycaster, broke out of a pasture along Arbuckle Creek Road, Scott said.

He wasn't sure how far the bull traveled to get to the Indian Streets downtown, but it is conceivable it could have crossed the Sebring Parkway somewhere.

"I was concerned about him getting out in moving traffic," Scott said. "Luckily no one ran into him during the night."

"As big as he was, it could have killed someone hitting him full blast," said Sebring Police Sgt. Greg Barlaug on Friday.

The bull was first seen walking on Milakee Avenue, Barlaug said.

"Maybe he wanted to go swimming," Scott said.

The bull traveled along the lake from close to Hidden Beach, across City Pier Beach, and was finally darted near Eures Apartments by Animal Control Supervisor Ralph Smith, who along with Scott is certified to fire a tranquilizer dart.

At this point the bull was walking in waist high grasses that have built up from the lake being so low.

You don't want to use too much or too little of the tranquilizer, he said. Too little and someone could get hurt. Too much and the animal would become too doped up to move him, Scott said.

The idea is to get him calm enough to back a stock trailer up to him. Tie a rope around his neck and walk him into the trailer, pulling him with the truck. Scott credited his fourth employee, Ron Davis, with retrieving the trailer, helping load the bull and taking him back to Waycaster's property.

However, before Waycaster could take possession he had to show his ownership papers, show the damaged fence had been repaired to prevent him from getting out again and he had to pay $50 for impounding the bull in the field.

Joe Seelig can be reached at (863) 386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com

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