WANTAGE, N.J. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The runaway bull who sparked widespread train delays between Newark and NYC on Thursday when he escaped a Newark slaughterhouse and took to the rails is now at an animal sanctuary in rural New Jersey, where he's living a much more peaceful life.
The bull, who's technically a steer, has since been named Ricardo—after the Newark police officer who played a major role in making sure he got to the 240-acre Skylands Animal Sanctuary in Sussex County.
"He'll live his life out on the sanctuary," Mike Stura, the sanctuary's president and founder, told WCBS 880's Newsline With Brigitte Quinn on Friday. "And hopefully he has a nice long life."
Ricardo captivated much of the New York City area on Thursday when he escaped a local slaughterhouse in Newark and took to the tracks at Newark Penn Station—leading to 45-minute delays for NJ Transit trains between that station and New York Penn Station in Manhattan.
Ricardo eventually wandered several miles from the station to an area near Newark Liberty International Airport, where he was corralled into a fenced-in lot and tranquilized by police.
"They tranquilized him, and when he dropped, somebody—I believe people from a slaughterhouse—hogtied him, they tied all his legs together since he was knocked out cold and dragged him into the mounted police horse trailer," Stura said.
Stura met police at the barracks on Orange Street, put his trailer against theirs, "threw some straw down," and transferred Ricardo from one trailer to the other.
One Newark police officer in particular was paramount in coordinating Ricardo's journey.
"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. "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 was taken from Newark to a veterinarian, where a reversal drug was administered to help the tranquilizer wear off. He also underwent a battery of tests to make sure he's safe to be around other animals.
"In the meantime, he'll be evaluated, basically for his size and his demeanor," Stuara said, "for me to guesstimate which herd he should go with. And I think I already have one in mind."
Stura said Ricardo is well on his way to "the life of leisure."
"He's standing up, which makes me so happy," Stura said. "He's eating and drinking. It really makes me happy to see him up. Cows can't stay down long."