DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a water buffalo that ran loose in a Des Moines, Iowa, suburb for days has pleaded guilty to having an animal at large.
The owner was fined $105 and court costs Thursday, the Des Moines Register reported.
The owner was taking the animal to the slaughterhouse when it escaped in August.
Police spent days searching for him as he roamed Pleasant Hill, a town of 11,000. Fans named the animal PHill after the city.
At one point, police shot PHill while trying to capture the animal, but it escaped and continued to wander for several days before being tranquilized with the help of the zoo and animal rescuers.
The previous owner gave the care of PHill and two other water buffalo – now named Sal and Jane – to an animal shelter.
The water buffalo was treated at a major veterinary hospital for an infected gunshot wound. Iowa Farm Sanctuary said PHill is recovering well.
Water buffalo can weigh up to 2,650 pounds (1,200 kilograms), according to the National Geographic website, although the Iowa animal appears smaller in photos. Often domesticated, the water buffalo is the largest member of the Bovini tribe, which includes yak, bison, African buffalo, various species of wild cattle and others, the website states.
