Loose bull sparks impromptu rodeo in Illinois neighborhood

Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A group of ranchers in Illinois teamed up to wrangle a 1,200-pound black angus bull that escaped from his enclosure in McHenry County.

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office issued a warning on social media Thursday about "a loose bull in the vegetation" between South Union Road and South Grant Highway in Marengo.

Several farmers in the neighborhood came together to keep the bull away from the nearby roads.

"School buses are going by, and that was our biggest fear that he would cross the road again, you know, run out in front of a school bus or something," neighbor Ken Bauman told WLS-TV.

Ranchers on horseback were able to get a rope around the bull, but the feisty bovine broke free and charged at them before fleeing into a cornfield.

The ranchers were eventually able to surround the bull, lasso him and calm him down enough for the walk back to his owner's farm.

The animal's owner told neighbors the bull is a new arrival and has only been at his new home for about a week.

No ranchers or bulls were injured in the pursuit.