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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49683441
A yak is on the loose in the US state of Virginia after escaping from a trailer on its way to the butchers.
Meteor, a three-year-old who belongs to farmer Robert Cissell of Nature's Bridge Farm in Buckingham, Virginia, has been missing since Tuesday.
Mr Cissell told the BBC Meteor had been raised for meat and described the animal as "aloof".
He said if captured the yak would "most likely live out his life here with our breeding herd".
Kevin Wright, an animal control supervisor for Nelson County, said: "It broke through a stop sign and we've been trying to catch it for a while. It's a well-mannered creature and clearly doesn't want to be handled."
He added: "It's no threat to anyone but we are concerned if it gets loose on the highway."
The animal was seen at a bed and breakfast in the county but is believed to have wandered to the mountains.
Deb Verplank, the owner of Orchard House Bed and Breakfast became invested in the story of Meteor after he was spotted in her gardens.
She said: "I didn't even know what a yak was until he turned up. He was just grazing. The farmer has left his trailer here so we are hoping he is found alive."
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If that was in Texas, we'd have barbecued Yak the next day!
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Virginia is full of "animal/wildlife" facilities.
The
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal has cheetahs,
elephants, wolves, etc. The SCBI hasn't had any 'escapes' in a long time.
Bunch of
bison & buffalo farms too!
Those critters can cause serious damage to a vehicle if they get loose.
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When big critters mosey onto highways, the results can be disastrous. I saw the aftermath of one such collision many years ago. Fortunately, the vehicle was a full size Mercedes Benz sedan. The front end had compacted into a small fraction of its’ original size. The occupants were seat belted and, the airbags did their job. NO serious injuries to any of the occupants. The bovine, not so lucky. Both hips broken and, it needed to be euthanized (which was accomplished with a single 9mm round between the eyes). It could have been MUCH worse. Over the decades, I saw the aftermath of several serious crashes involving Mercedes Benz vehicles. They generally fared VERY well in maintaining the integrity of their passenger compartments.
