INDIANAPOLIS — A loose bull in search of a meal enjoyed a buffet line of flowers and bird seed Wednesday morning on the southeast side of Indianapolis.
The bovine affair began around 7:30 a.m. in the 9600 block of Vandergriff Road when Debbie VanTreese awoke and heard a noise outside. She noticed a bird feeder was destroyed and thought a raccoon might be the culprit.
VanTreese investigated further and found overturned chairs, broken flower pots and a destroyed fire pit. She spoke to her neighbor, Judy Blacketer, who realized an escaped bull was responsible.
“We've been here for almost 40 years and all we’ve seen are deer, and we haven’t seen them lately," VanTreese said. “Never seen a bull. Never."
The bull journeyed back to Blacketer's yard after spending some time chewing away at another neighbor's tree.
“He finally ended up in my bird feeder, which was the strangest bird I have seen in my bird feeder, ever," Blacketer said. "As long as he had something to eat, he was happy."
The bull's owner, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer and an Animal Control representative arrived to help corral the wayward bull, during which time the bull continued to calmly eat flowers and plants.
“(The officer) said he had to read the report twice because he thought it was a pit bull, and then he realized it was a real bull,” VanTreese said. “He was just tired and hungry and wanted something to drink.”
After some time and patience, the bull's owner was finally able to coax him away with a bucket of food and the morning's drama came to an end.
“Actually, I thought it was pretty cool. I’m a real animal lover, so I thought this is a great way to start my day. I thought it was neat. It was funny," Blacketer said. "And he left a little fertilizer for my garden, too."
