NEWARK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – This stuffed animal would make a mooo-st marvelous stalking stuffer!
Less than a week after a bull escaped a slaughterhouse and took to the tracks at Newark Penn Station, halting train traffic between New Jersey and New York, NJ Transit has released a plush toy of the animal.
The bull, who was named Ricardo, has since been taken to an animal shelter in rural Sussex County, where he'll live out the rest of his life.
NJ Transit is making the most of the high-profile escape, which captivated the New York area last Thursday and quickly became a national story.
On Tuesday, the transit agency was taking preorders for the $20 toy on its website. The "expected release date" is Jan. 3, 2024.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the Skylands Animal Sanctuary, where Ricardo now lives, NJ Transit said.
A description for the toy reads: "Meet Ricardo, the heartwarming 6-inch stuffed animal bull inspired by a true tale of rescue! NJ Transit is proud to introduce this adorable plush companion, named after the real-life bull who captured the hearts of New Jerseyans as well as the entire nation’s attention."
"Now, you can bring home a piece of Ricardo's inspiring story while helping support him on his new journey," the description continues. "Snuggle up with your very own Ricardo, knowing that a portion of the proceeds goes directly to supporting the real-life Ricardo at the animal sanctuary where he has found refuge."
Last Friday, the animal sanctuary's founder, Mike Stura, told WCBS 880's Newsline With Brigitte Quinn that Ricardo will live "the life of leisure."
"He'll live his life out on the sanctuary," Stura said. "And hopefully he has a nice long life."
Ricardo is named after a Newark police officer who played a major role in making sure he went to a sanctuary and not back to the slaughterhouse.
"He was just so helpful with keeping me in the loop—where they were, where the animal was, where they were going to be," Stura said of the officer. "He was just so helpful and so happy that the animal was rescued. And I just asked him, 'what's your first name,' and he told me, 'Ricardo.'"
Ricardo the bull's escapade on the NJ Transit tracks led to 45-minute delays for NJ Transit trains between Newark Penn and New York Penn Station in Manhattan. He eventually roamed several miles to an area near Newark Liberty International Airport, where he was corralled into a fenced-in lot and tranquilized by police before being put on a trailer and driven to the 240-acre sanctuary.