The sheriff’s office is warning residents to not approach “Tyson the Bison,” which has been on the loose in the Wauconda and Island Lake area since September after escaping from its owner.
“This is no bull! Actually, it’s an American Buffalo, fondly given the name ‘Tyson the Bison’ and she’s still on the ‘mooooove,’ as she fled from her ‘farmiliar’ surroundings in September!” the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.
The sheriff’s office shared a photo of the animal that was taken last week near Cary by Todd Dorn.
The female bison continues to graze across western Lake County and eastern McHenry County.
“Tyson means you no ‘farm!’ We ‘hoof’ talked to the owners who are hoping for a snowfall, so they can track her and take her into ‘cowstody’ safely. You won’t be able to wrangle her with ‘handcalfs,’ and she can be a bit ‘imbullsive’ so if you see her, please don’t approach her,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
In late November, the Island Lake Police Department said one of their police officers spotted Island Lake’s “beloved bison,” calling the animal, “as elusive as Sasquatch himself.”
In a video published by the department on social media, the bison was seen frolicking across Darrell Road just south of Case Road in unincorporated Wauconda at night.
“Apparently he wanted to remind everyone not to speed, pay attention to the road and not to text and drive. Had Officer Lane not been vigilant, had been speeding, or would’ve been distracted, he would have hit the bison and hurt himself and the bison,” the Island Lake Police Department said.
Authorities said the owner of the animal reported it missing to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in mid-September.
The bison was being corralled into an enclosure from a trailer when it managed to escape.
Police said that the owner accepts it as a loss but hopes it will return.
“However, it is a wild animal and in its natural habitat. This environment is ideal for a bison to survive. Plenty of food to graze on and lots of water sources. It might actually be happier now than it would be in captivity,” Island Lake police said.
The animal has been spotted numerous times by Wauconda and Island Lake residents, who have taken videos and photos and posted them on social media.
Police urge residents to drive carefully as the bison remains on the loose nearly three months after it escaped.
Anyone who spots the bison can call their local police agency and they will notify the owners of the animal, the sheriff’s office said.