Wayward bull caught; finds home at area farm

MANALAPAN - A 1,500-pound black Hereford bull that eluded Manalapan police and animal control officers on Mother's Day, May 11, is safe for now, grazing with some cows on a farm in neighboring Millstone Township.

The bull, which spent Mother's Day roaming through parts of Manalapan and Millstone, was caught in Wagner Park, Millstone, by a local farmer and his farmhands on May 12 and taken to Hans Farm on Woodville Road, Millstone, according to Manalapan police.

No one has reported the bull lost or called to claim it.

Han said it likely belonged to horse people who used it as a rodeo calf. He said he has seen this type of situation happen before.

Manalapan police Capt. Chris Marsala, Patrolman Frank Krause and Patrolman Adam Sosnowski spent part of Mother's Day trying to apprehend the bull in southern Manalapan, along with Manalapan Animal Control Officer Sharon Gaboff, of Millstone, and her friend Monica LaRue, of Upper Freehold Township. They even used a horse to corner it in a resident's back yard, but the horse got frightened and the bull eventually ran into the woods.

Han said, "It is probably about 6 months old. I've seen them grow to 2,000 pounds."

He was surprised to hear that at one point during its journey the bull had entered a resident's garage in Manalapan but did not do any damage.

He said that on May 12, his wife noticed New Jersey State Police troopers in the woods near his house and she suggested that he go see what was happening. He saw the bull tied to a tree. He said some youngsters had caught it.

"They amazed me," Han said. "They got a rope around it. They [bulls] can kill you if you don't know how to handle them."

Gaboff had previously said that the bull did not appear to be aggressive when they were trying to catch it.

Since no one came forward to claim the bull, Han offered to keep it on his farm with his others. He said he will most likely let it stay on his farm for the summer. After that he would consider selling it, possibly for slaughter.

- Amy Rosen and Jane Meggitt