Midnight Rodeo in Ishpeming: Police respond to bull on the loose
ISHPEMING — The bull that was on the loose in the city of Ishpeming Friday night has been safely captured.
Just before 11 p.m. Friday, the Ishpeming Police Department responded to a call that they had to see to believe. A 1500 lb. bull was reported running around outside the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Ishpeming Police Chief Dan Wiley knew right away that this wasn’t a situation that comes up too often.
“It’s kind of odd. I’ve never seen a farm animal like this before,” said Willey. “It was skiddish. The guys were able to touch it a little bit, but it wouldn’t let us really get a rope around it.”
Officers from Ishpeming, Negaunee, and the Michigan State Police prevented the animal from leaving the ski hall of fame grounds. A local veterinarian was called to the scene to help corral the bull into a trailer.
“We were trying to get a rope around its horns or its head and it wouldn’t really let us do that,” said Willey. “The bull had a mind of its own and it was going to go where it wanted to go.”
Two hours into the standoff with the bull, officers were able to get a couple of ropes around its legs and wrangle him to the ground. The Ishpeming City Fire Department was called to the scene to help get the animal into the back of the trailer. At approximately 1:30 a.m., the unharmed bull was in the back of the trailer and off to a local veterinarian’s clinic just west of Ishpeming.
Chief Willey says that he has no idea at this time where the bull came from or how it got there.
Police have barricaded the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in Ishpeming due to a stray bull cow.
The Ishpeming Police Department received reports of a stray cow just before 11 p.m. Friday. It was seen near U.S. 41 in front of the hall of fame and it ventured to the grassy area behind the building.
A trailer from a local veterinarian came to assist in corralling the animal, but the first attempt was unsuccessful.
ABC 10 will continue to update the story as more information becomes available.