Buffalo herd's escape from New York state farm ends in tragedy

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/24/buffalo-herd-escape-new-york-state-farm

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The escape of a small herd of buffalo from a farm ended with all 15 of the animals being shot after authorities said they became a danger by crossing the New York State Thruway.

Three men hired by the farm were cleared to open fire Friday afternoon in a stream in woods in the town of Coeymans, about 10 miles south of the capital. Police said the decision was made after experts agreed tranquilizers would not be effective and no portable corrals could hold the animals.

The animals escaped on Thursday from a farm across the Hudson River in the Rensselaer County town of Schodack. The owner believes they swam across the river to the town of Bethlehem, where they wandered across a busy stretch of interstate 87 and into neighboring Coeymans.

Drivers slowed to avoid them.

Authorities had warned that the loose animals are dangerous.