CLEVELAND — You might say that the Cleveland Division of Police had a beef with a particular call they received on Monday evening.
Officers were called to the scene at East 123rd Street and Oakland Avenue for a report of a loose cow. An officer with experience dealing with livestock was able to track down the cow in a wooded area of an empty field "based on smell alone."
The cow had an ear tag that says "Punch." But it turns out that the animal was actually a bull, a male cow. And he was not ready to be caught quite yet.
While drivers tried to steer clear, the bull fled onto East 124th Street until police were finally able to seal him in a fenced area until members of the mounted unit arrived with a trailer.
At that point, we just had to back the trailer up into the driveway to avoid him being able to get out," explained Officer Chuck Lipscomb. "We just kind of coerced him and walked him over so he'd follow the path up into the trailer with the hay."
Police drove Punch to the Cleveland Division of Police's Mounted Unit Stables.
"If this is your cow, please call 216-621-1234," the department tweeted.
While police were able to get Punch to the stable, they tell us that the bull looks malnourished, so they're working with several different rescues to see who can help.
UPDATE: On Wednesday, it was announced that Punch was taken to the Happy Trails Animal Sanctuary in Ravenna.
Police add that they think Punch was running for a few miles from East Cleveland into Cleveland.
In an update Wednesday morning, police said Punch is now at the Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary.
