A herd of bison that were running loose in Caribou have been put down.

Where Did the Bison Get Loose?

Fort Fairfield Police said in a Facebook post that they received a report from a local farmer on May 12th that 6 bison had escaped from their fenced-in pasture. Police Officers tried to help the farmer push the bison back into their pasture but the animals had a different plan. Over the next few days, they were spotted in several locations on the outskirts of Fort Fairfield.

On May 15th, Fort Fairfield Police reported that the owner was successful in putting one of the animals back into its pasture. That left 5 still on the loose. They urged drivers to use caution.

We encourage motorists and community members to continue to be vigilant while they are traveling through Fort Fairfield. These animals are large, fast, and unpredictable, please do not approach them.

They said they were working with the bison's owner and State Officials to come to a solution so this did not continue to happen.

When Were They Dispatched?

Caribou Police were also posting warnings to residents about the bison, stating that at least 8 bison had been spotted running in the area of the Dow Siding Road, across from the Caribou Motor Inn. The next sighting posted on the Caribou Police Department's Facebook page had the bison on the East PIRD, which stands for the East Presque Isle Road. They said the owner had been contacted and was on his way to the site.

The final update indicated that the owner sent some people to the site to 'dispatch the animals,' which means the bison were put down. Caribou Police stated that their officers had nothing to do with the dispatching of the animals.

We're not clear on the number of bison that were dispatched.

Hasn't This Happened Before?

This is not the first time police personnel in Aroostook County have had to deal with this. Several bison got loose in the Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle area in February. And in March 2022, several bison escaped from a farm in the same area.

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