For Steer Who Escaped in Newark, a Happy Ending

UPDATE Dec 21, 2023 3:30 PM CST

A lost steer captivated New Jersey and much of the nation last week when it showed up on the tracks by Newark's Penn Station. The Washington Post has an update that will please those rooting for the animal, as well as a more detailed account of how the adventure unfolded. The newly christened "Ricardo" will live out his days at an animal sanctuary in the state. As this video from Mike Stura of Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue shows, it's a much better fate for the steer, who is believed to have escaped from one of Newark's slaughterhouses. Meanwhile, New Jersey Transit is selling stuffed animals in Ricardo's likeness, with some of the proceeds going to the shelter. (The animal is technically a steer, though it was widely identified in initial coverage as a bull.)

Dec 14, 2023 11:45 AM CST

It's not your typical cause of a snarled commute in the big city: a wandering bull. New Jersey Transit on Thursday morning posted images of the animal, which showed up on the tracks near Newark Penn Station. ABC News reports that animal was eventually tranquilized and captured, but not before causing delays of about 45 minutes for trains running back and forth between New Jersey and New York's Penn Station, per NBC New York.

It wasn't immediately clear where the animal came from, though NJ.com notes that Newark is home to multiple slaughterhouses from which it might have escaped. While that is figured out, authorities say an animal sanctuary will tend to the animal. "We're trying to piece it all together," says a NJ Transit spokesman. (This kind of thing has happened before.)