Mastic Bull 'Barney' Remains Elusive 8 Days After Escape

MASTIC, NY — Wednesday marked eight days since the Mastic bull dubbed "Barney" escaped from slaughter, and Long Island animal advocates hope the wayward bovine will be wrangled soon.

Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Chief Roy Gross said Suffolk police reached out to him to coordinate with rescue groups to capture the bull, and he reached out to Mike Stura, who owns the 232-acre Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in New Jersey and plans to take Barney.

Gross said Stura has spent "countless" hours trying to wrangle the bull.

“He is a very dedicated man with a mission to bring ‘Barney’ home to live out his life with other animals that he has rescued,” Gross said, adding, “We want to thank him for his perseverance and determination.”

Stura went live on Facebook on Tuesday night to update followers, filming from the field where he believes the bull will likely appear.

Stura said he is looking forward to capturing Barney. He said the animal "just doesn’t want to give up yet.”

“I hope he does soon because I am starting to get a little homesick,” Stura added. “We have been trying out here; trying to get it done; waiting. It’s kind of — all I know right now — is wait and hope that he comes, and takes the bait that we have set up.”

Sweet feed has been placed inside a corral that has been triggered to close once the bull is inside, and from there, Stura will bring it inside a trailer to prep him for transport to the sanctuary.

Stura said the animal found a nice little area, so the incentive for it to surrender is not very good.

“Maybe I will hang my phone on one of the trees back there and let him get a glimpse of some of our animals playing at the sanctuary, see if he wants to come in and play with Calvin and the kids,” he said of his menagerie at the sanctuary, adding, “But, yeah, so far he is not coming to see me. I’d like to take him home and be done with this.”

The bull broke through a fence at a farm on Barnes Road in Manorville where it was scheduled to be slaughtered as part of a Muslim holiday and was first seen running through a neighborhood in nearby Mastic at about 8:20 a.m. last Tuesday. Rescuers have tried wrangling him and have even tempted him with a lady friend named “Norma Jean,” as well as baiting him with some scrumptious sweet feed.

Gross asked curiosity seekers to stand down last week to reduce the people at the site to allow rescuers to do their jobs working in shifts, but nothing has worked, and the animal is still hiding in the woods. In the meantime, the bull’s bid for freedom has drawn national attention and has inspired some pretty hilarious memes on Facebook.

So far, Barney has been nicknamed “Long Island’s Most Wanted,” has been listed missing on a mock milk carton, has been featured partying at Smith Point County Park, and also driving a red convertible “somewhere in Mastic.”

His plight has also reinvigorated the debate on animal welfare and their use for consumption, which, some activists say, is animal exploitation.

As for Stura, there are no plans to give up on the rescue any time soon, but he noted rescues can go longer than expected. He has rescued other bovines, like Frieda and Al, which were loose for about six months, as well as cows named Georgia and Princess, which were loose for two and eight months, respectively, he said.

“It often goes longer,” he said.

In the meantime, Barney is capable of surviving by living off the grass and drinking water from a stream, and could be terrified and lonely due to the lack of company of other cows and bulls. Right now the biggest predator it has to worry about are humans, Stura said, adding, “the scariest critter on the planet; there’s plenty of those.”

“But he has got a nice little spot away from them,” he said.

Still, Stura is confident Barney will eventually come forward, and turn himself, so to speak, and jokingly responded to a viewer who suggested he should tell him who he is.

“Do you know who I am, you’ll be safe with me, buddy,” he said with a laugh.

Stura said that at this point there is not a lot he can do, other than waiting it out.

If the animal walked up to him right now, Stura said he could throw a rope around his neck, but he would be dragged across the field.

“It just doesn’t work that way,” he said.

“I brought my little trailer with me, we’ll just get him in there, and I will bring him home, and he will be fine,” he said.

Gross noted there have been many dedicated volunteers and rescue groups involved in the effort to rescue Barney. They include Strong Island Rescue, Long Island Orchestrated for Nature, Lisa’s Run Animal Rescue, Dr. Dennis Dougherty of the Bayport Animal Hospital, the Nobody Starves Food Bank, Eddie’s Canine Search, and Rescue, and Broken Antler.

Gross warned that while the bull is still out there, the residents in the Mastic/Moriches/Manorville area should not chase it, if they see it, and should refrain from trying to capture it. They should also be careful on the roadways when traveling, he said.

He urged residents who have a sighting to immediately call 911, and report the animal’s location.

“We all hope this effort will make for a happy ending for Barney, the bull,” he added.