Aggressive bulls safely corralled near Southern Alberta school after morning escape

A pair of aggressive bulls that sparked a safety warning near a school east of Lethbridge on Friday morning have been safely corralled, according to RCMP.

The bulls escaped early in the morning while being transported, prompting police to assist farmers in locating and containing the animals.

The incident occurred north of Highway 3 near 18 Avenue in the town of Coaldale — an area close enough to a local school that authorities issued a warning to parents, especially those with children walking to school.

Mounties say thanks to the quick response and “grit and rugged skills” of local cowboys — and a helpful dog — the bulls were successfully rounded up and loaded into a trailer without further incident around 8:30 a.m.

The call came in to rancher Jared Clark around 6 a.m. When he arrived in the area, he was informed that two bulls were roaming the streets of Coaldale right around the time people were getting ready for work and school.

Clark enlisted his friend Dustin O’Donnell, and the pair mounted horses and found the two bulls.

“When an animal gets injured, especially a bull, it can become dangerous,” he says. “If he decided to go somewhere, he was going. He was right beside a residential area.”

Clark says the wrangling of the angry bull took around an hour and came after the cattle were loose for several hours.

RCMP say the situation has been resolved and there is no longer a threat to public safety.