The animal sanctuary in Florida where Buddy the Beefalo is living after his great escape from a slaughterhouse in Connecticut in 2020 is looking to raise money for veterinarian bills after the state’s favorite escape artist had an unexpected medical issue.
Buddy’s life had been “happy and drama-free” for the last five years until he was found stuck on his side in the mud over the weekend as a vet was conducting routine exams at the sanctuary, according to a social media post from Critter Creek Sanctuary in Gainesville, Florida.
After the vet had seen almost every other animal and Buddy could not be located, he was found in the veterinary staging area in the “only muddy spot” on the entire 205-acre property stuck on his side at the bottom of a hill, the sanctuary wrote. Staff had to wrap a strap around the base of his horns and attach it to a tractor that was used to drag him.
“This method looks brutal, but it’s the safest way to move a mooperson in this situation because this part of their skull is exceptionally thick,” the sanctuary wrote.
After being freed from the mud, Buddy could sit up but could not stand — a result of his leg going “to sleep” after the time on his side caused his nerves to compress, according to the sanctuary. Buddy was given steroids to treat the inflammation and seemed to be improving until he was found on his side again and did not look well.
An emergency vet visit led to the same nerve compression diagnosis after his physical exam was “pretty good,” the sanctuary wrote.
“They got him sitting back up and shifted his position, and he has been sitting up since then,” the post said. “We’re in the waiting stage right now. The good news is that he’s eating and drinking well, and acting like his usual self. Our fingers, toes, and hooves are firmly crossed that he’s standing up soon.”
The sanctuary has started a fundraiser to help cover Buddy’s vet bills. As of midday Monday, the fundraiser had generated more than $1,300 in donations.
Buddy, who spent more than eight months on the lam when he escaped a slaughterhouse in Plymouth in August 2020, was brought to the sanctuary after the Plymouth Police Department raised enough money to buy him from his Massachusetts owner. He was caught after police spent months and months trying to lure him in while he roamed the woods of Connecticut.
All the while, the community became captivated with his escape story.
Buddy was finally nabbed when he wandered onto a farm and was spotted with some cows, where the farm owner was able to get him into a trailer.
