FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Update 9 p.m.:
The Aroostook County bison that escaped from a farm were successfully rounded up around 4:30 p.m., police say.
The owner and several citizens assisted with recapturing the animals, according to a news release from Matthew E. Cummings, chief of police in Fort Fairfield. The animals were returned to their pen on Presque Isle Road in Fort Fairfield.
Some of the animals were taken via trailer, and others were guided back to their pen using the roadway.
"The motor vehicle crash involving the bison occurred in Presque Isle and was handled by the Presque Isle Police Department," the release stated. "The owner believes that the Bison may have escaped sometime this morning due to another large animal breaking the fence from the outside. The case is under investigation."
Original story:
One bison was fatally struck by a driver Wednesday morning after 11 of the beasts escaped from a private farm in Fort Fairfield.
The bison traveled a little over a mile from Fort Fairfield to the Quoggy Jo Ski Center in Presque Isle, according to Presque Isle Police Sgt. Tyler Cote.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the 10 remaining bison were in woods near the Nordic Heritage Center, Cote said. Law enforcement officials and the farm's owner are trying to figure out a way to get them back to the farm.
"They're not like cattle," Cote said. "You can't just round them up."
The driver who fatally struck the Bison was uninjured, but the truck was totaled, according to police.
Cote said Fort Fairfield police would decide if there would be any charges in connection with the crash. NEWS CENTER Maine called Fort Fairfield police for more information but did not immediately receive a response.
Michael Maynard, a former South Dakota resident who now lives in Maine, told NEWS CENTER Maine he almost hit a couple of the bison while driving to Presque Isle around 8:30 a.m.
"I was coming up the hill by where the Nordic trail is at, and I saw a glimpse of something dark coming down from the trail and I slammed on my brakes," he said. "Then I realized it was a buffalo and I says, 'What's a buffalo doing here?'"
"Surprisingly, I actually have a buffalo preventative bumper on my truck," Maynard added. "And the only thing I've hit with it so far is a deer. It's rated up to 600 pounds and I'm just thinking, 'Oh my God, I had to come all the way up to Maine to test it out.'"
Cote said Presque Isle police were alerted about the bison around 4:45 a.m.
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