Rampaging bull shot dead by police after ‘charging’ near primary school in Cheshire

A rampaging bull that had escaped from its enclosure and began “charging” at people in Cheshire has been shot dead by firearms police.

Just before 9am yesterday (19 April), a large bull is thought to have escaped from its enclosure, gotten itself into what was described as an “agitated” state, and began to go on a rampage through the quiet Cheshire town of Haslington.

Police and residents say the bull began “charging” near a local primary school.

With the bull posing a real risk to the public and an “immediate threat” to safety, police said they feared a “serious accident” could occur if they did not intervene, and although attempts to secure the bull were made at first, they were unfortunately unsuccessful.

In a decision that is “never taken lightly”, officers claimed they had no choice but to kill the animal “before anyone was seriously hurt”.

Relaying the events as they happened, a spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: “Local officers and firearms officers attended the scene, and local residents – including the nearby school – were advised to stay inside as the bull in its agitated state posed an immediate threat to their safety.

“There was also a real risk of the bull escaping onto the main road and surrounding housing estates which could have caused a serious accident.

“Officers with the help of the owner attempted to secure the bull but the owner was unable to do so and the immediate danger to the public and the officers was high. A decision had to be made to dispatch the animal before anyone was seriously hurt.

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“This decision is never taken lightly and the main focus here was to protect residents, some of whom were dropping children off at the nearby school.”

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