Water buffalo corralled days after it escaped in Iowa suburb and was shot by police

DES MOINES, Iowa — A escaped water buffalo was found Wednesday, days after it was shot and injured during an attempt to return it to its owner’s suburban home, officials said.

The animal was found in a wooded area in Des Moines, officials told local broadcaster KCCI-TV. Police were initially called Saturday after the animal ran away from its enclosure and became aggressive in the suburb of Pleasant Hill.

That became the case when police and animal rescue and control groups attempted to contain the water buffalo and return it to its owner’s property. Those efforts “resulted in the animal displaying aggression toward Pleasant Hill officers, resulting in one shotgun blast, injuring the animal,” police said in a Facebook post Monday.

Iowa Farm Sanctuary, a rescue organization in eastern Iowa, wrote on Facebook Wednesday that the water buffalo had been shot in the chest and was now headed to the Iowa State Large Animal Hospital for treatment. They added that the water buffalo was surrendered by its owner and would be returned to their farm after treatment.

According to the government website, water buffalos can weigh up to 1,200 kilograms. National Geographicalthough the Iowa animal appears smaller in photographs. The water buffalo, which is often domesticated, is the largest member of the Bovini tribe, which also includes the yak, bison, African buffalo, several species of wild cattle and others, the website says.