INFURIATED BULL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21520, 17 June 1933, Page 12

INFURIATED BULL

TROUBLE AT PENROSE SEVERAL PEOPLE ATTACKED BEAST SHOT FROM DISTANCE Panic among road-users was caused by an infuriated bull which charged all pedestrians and vehicles in Church Street, Penrose, for about half-an-hour 011 Thursday afternoon. The animal, a comparatively small beast, was shot with difficulty yesterday morning. The bull was one of a mob of condemned cattle being driven to the boil-ing-down works at about 4.30 in the afternoon. It wandered among some large rocks at the roadside, and toll, being unable to rise again, in spite of the efforts of the driver of the stock. The bull was left temporarily where it had fallen, but before long it-suc r ceeded in clambering back on to the road. Thoroughly infuriated, the bull charged the first moving objects that caught its eye, a party of four cyclists. All dropped their machines and ran for safety to a large motor-bus, which was parked by the roadside. Three of the men climbed into the. bus, having a good murgin to spare, but tho fourth, who had been slower in dropping his bicycle, was nearly overtaken by tho bull, and had to clamber across tho bonnet of the bus, as he had no time to run round tho front to reach the door. Other men on bicycles, on their way home from work at the various factories and plants in the vicinity, also attracted the attention of tjje bull, and a number had to leap hurriedly over a stone fence into a paddock. A small motor-ear which passed along Church Street was chased by the animal, which gave up after covering some distance. The driver of the parked bus, Mr. N. C. Preston, in describing the incidents, said the only actual victim of the bull was ft motor-truck with which an effort was made to drive the animai away. Travelling slowly, tho driver bumped the animal several times with one of tho front mudguards. Without warning, however, the beast turned suddenly and attacked the truck, smashing the radiator. After chasing several pedestrians, who sought safety behind a stone wall, the bull eventually jumped a fenco into a paddock adjoining the Southdown railway station. It was allowed to remain in the paddock until yesterday morning, when it was decided to shoot it. As soon as the man who intended shooting the bull entered the paddock the animal charged him, and the man, dropping his rifle, ran for safeVy. The beast was eventually shot from a distance.