By Patrick Donachie
For the second time this year, a runaway animal took to the streets of Jamaica in an attempt to escape his fate at a slaughterhouse. The bull was eventually recaptured, but he had a surprising guardian angel in the form of comedian Jon Stewart, who helped transport the bull to his new home upstate.
At about 10:18 a.m. on Friday, police received calls about a loose bull on Liberty Avenue. The bull eventually made his way to the York College CUNY campus before police gained control of him, according to a police spokesman.
The bull who made a break for freedom was then taken to the Animal Care Center in East New York. Animal Care Center employees nicknamed the bull Frank Lee, after Frank Lee Morris, who escaped the island prison Alcatraz in 1962.
Farm Sanctuary, an animal rescue organization, later agreed to take and keep the bull. Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 to provide safe haven for animals and educate the public on the problematic aspects of factory farming. The organization operates several sanctuaries throughout the country.
Representatives from Farm Sanctuary arrived to take the bull to his new home, including Tracey Stewart and her husband Jon, who is famous for his 16-year stint as host of “The Daily Show.” Tracey Stewart, a member of Farm Sanctuary’s board of directors, is the author of “Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better.” The two helped load Frank Lee into a truck for a trip to his new home at a sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY.
In January, a cow escaped from a slaughterhouse in southeast Queens and took off on the streets of Jamaica before being recaptured. The cow, who was subsequently named Freddie, ended up at Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Wantage, NJ.
According to an announcement from New York City’s Animal Care Center, Freddie “is living the good life snacking on grass and laying in the sun.”
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
