It wasn’t exactly a scene out of a Western, but for the residents of Plymouth, Connecticut, it felt pretty close. You don’t expect to see a massive, shaggy-haired beast with horns the size of handlebars wandering past your mailbox on a Tuesday afternoon. Yet, that’s exactly what happened when a Scottish Highland bull loose in Connecticut turned a quiet suburban stretch into a multi-day tracking operation.
He was big. He was fluffy. And honestly, he was incredibly fast for something that looks like a sentient ottoman.
The bull, affectionately known as "Hamish" by some and simply "that large cow" by others, escaped his enclosure in late 2024, sparking a saga that captivated local social media feeds and exhausted the local police department. This wasn't just a simple case of a fence being left open. It was a masterclass in bovine stubbornness. When a 1,500-pound animal decides it wants to see the world, there isn't much a standard backyard gate can do to stop it.
The Great Escape: Why Highland Cattle Are Hard to Catch
If you’ve ever seen a Highland bull, you know they look like they belong on a postcard from the Isle of Skye, not dodging minivans in Litchfield County. They have that thick, double-layered coat designed to withstand freezing rain and howling winds. This makes them incredibly hardy. It also makes them very difficult to tranquilize or wrangle in the thick brush of the Connecticut woods.
Basically, Hamish had the home-field advantage.
The terrain in that part of the state is a messy mix of dense secondary-growth forest, rocky ridges, and marshy wetlands. For a human, it’s a nightmare to navigate off-trail. For a Scottish Highland bull, it’s a playground. These animals are surprisingly agile. People tend to think of cattle as slow, lumbering creatures that just stand there chewing cud. That is a mistake. A Highland bull can clear a four-foot fence if he’s motivated enough, and Hamish was highly motivated by the prospect of fresh corn and freedom.
Local authorities, including the Plymouth Police Department and animal control officers, found themselves in a weird spot. You can’t exactly tackle a bull. You can’t really "corner" him in the woods without risking someone getting gored or the animal getting injured. So, the strategy became a game of patience.
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The Neighborhood Watch (Bovine Edition)
Social media went absolutely wild.
Every few hours, a new post would pop up on community Facebook groups. "He’s in my driveway on South Main!" followed ten minutes later by "Just saw him heading toward the reservoir." It became a sort of accidental scavenger hunt. But the levity of the situation masked some real concerns. A Scottish Highland bull loose in Connecticut is a genuine traffic hazard. Hit a deer, and your car is totaled; hit a bull that weighs as much as a small sedan, and the results are catastrophic.
State Police were concerned about the bull wandering onto Route 6 or other high-speed arteries. There was also the "looky-loo" factor. People wanted selfies. They wanted to feed him.
That’s a terrible idea.
Experts like Dr. Michael Pesce, a large animal veterinarian, often point out that while Highlands are generally more docile than other breeds, a stressed animal is an unpredictable animal. "They aren't aggressive by nature, but they are territorial and protective," he noted during a similar incident in the Northeast. When you have a bull that has been out of his element for 48 hours, his fight-or-flight response is dialed up to eleven.
The Logistics of the Recovery
How do you actually catch a loose bull? It’s not like catching a stray dog with a piece of ham.
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- Food lures: This is usually step one. They set up "catch pens"—portable corrals—filled with high-quality grain and sweet-smelling hay. The hope is that the bull gets hungry enough to walk in, at which point a remote trigger closes the gate.
- Drones: In the Connecticut case, thermal imaging drones were a game changer. They could spot his heat signature through the thick canopy at night, allowing trackers to know his general vicinity without spooking him by tramping through the leaves.
- The "Judas" Cow: Sometimes, farmers will bring in a calm female cow (a heifer) in a trailer nearby. The bull hears her, smells her, and decides that hanging out with a friend is better than being a fugitive.
In Plymouth, it took a combination of these tactics and a whole lot of waiting. The bull wasn't interested in the easy way out. He spent a significant amount of time near the Pequabuck River, using the water as a natural barrier.
Why This Keeps Happening in New England
You might think a Scottish Highland bull loose in Connecticut is a freak occurrence, but livestock escapes are becoming more common in the Northeast. Why? Because the "hobby farm" trend has exploded. More people are buying a few acres in the suburbs and bringing in "exotic" or heritage breeds like Highlands because they’re photogenic and relatively low-maintenance.
The problem is that suburban fencing isn't always built for Highland cattle.
Standard post-and-rail or even some electric setups are designed for horses or standard dairy cows. Highlands are shorter, broader, and have those massive horns that they use like crowbars. If they find a weak spot in a fence, they don't just push through it; they dismantle it.
Furthermore, the Connecticut landscape is deceiving. We have these pockets of deep woods that look small on a map but are incredibly rugged. Once an animal gets into the "green corridors" that connect towns like Plymouth, Bristol, and Thomaston, they can travel miles without ever crossing a major road. It creates a needle-in-a-haystack scenario for animal control.
Lessons Learned from the Plymouth Bull
Honestly, the whole Hamish saga taught the community a lot about the limits of modern suburban infrastructure. We like to think we have nature fenced out, but nature occasionally reminds us that a 1,500-pound herbivore with a thick coat of hair doesn't care about property lines.
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The recovery was eventually successful. No people were hurt, and the bull was returned to his farm, likely wondering why everyone was making such a fuss. But for those three days, the town was on edge.
If you find yourself in a situation where there is a Scottish Highland bull loose in Connecticut (or anywhere else), there are some very specific things you should—and absolutely should not—do.
What to Do if You Spot a Loose Bull
- Stay in your car. If you see him while driving, do not get out to take a photo. A bull can cover 30 feet faster than you can open your car door.
- Don't use your horn. Honking your horn doesn't "scare him away" in a helpful direction. It panics him, which usually results in the animal bolting directly into traffic or through someone's expensive glass sunroom.
- Call the non-emergency police line. Most local dispatchers were already flooded with calls during the Plymouth incident, but giving a specific location and a "direction of travel" is incredibly helpful for the recovery teams.
- Keep your dogs inside. A barking dog is seen as a predator by a bull. If your Golden Retriever starts yapping at a Highland bull, the bull might decide to charge. Even if there's a fence between them, a determined bull will go through it.
Moving Forward for Local Farmers
For those keeping Highlands in Connecticut, the takeaway is clear: reinforce your perimeters. Use high-tensile wire and make sure your gates are latched with more than just a simple carabiner. These animals are smart. They watch how you open the gate.
Also, consider GPS collars. While they might seem like overkill for a "pet" bull, the cost of a collar is significantly lower than the cost of a multi-day police search, potential liability from a car accident, or the loss of the animal itself.
The story of the Scottish Highland bull loose in Connecticut ended well, but it served as a wake-up call. We live in a state where the suburbs and the wild are constantly bumping into each other. Sometimes that looks like a bear in a birdfeeder; sometimes it looks like a majestic, horned beast from the Highlands wandering down your cul-de-sac.
If you are a property owner in rural or semi-rural Connecticut, check your local zoning laws regarding livestock fencing. Many towns have updated their requirements to ensure that heritage breeds—which are often stronger and more escape-prone than standard cattle—are kept in enclosures that can actually hold them.
Keeping an eye on local police scanners or community "Alert" apps is also the best way to stay informed about these rare but disruptive events. In the case of the Plymouth bull, the fastest updates didn't come from the evening news; they came from neighbors sharing ring camera footage in real-time. That community vigilance is ultimately what kept both the bull and the public safe until he could be safely coaxed back home.
Practical Next Steps for Residents:
- Report Sightings Immediately: If you spot large livestock loose, contact local animal control or the police non-emergency line with a precise location and the animal's heading.
- Secure Your Property: If a bull is reported loose in your immediate area, move pets and children indoors and close any perimeter gates to prevent the animal from entering your yard and becoming trapped or defensive.
- Check Fencing Standards: For livestock owners, ensure you are using at least 12.5 gauge high-tensile wire or heavy-duty cattle panels, as Highland cattle can easily bypass standard decorative or light-duty agricultural fencing.