Latest news with #BrianOlson
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- The Guardian
Sauce Boss the rodeo bull becomes latest US animal escape artist
Animals that have proven themselves to be escape artists as of late in the US have included a terrier and nearly four dozen monkeys. And now a rodeo bull reportedly referred to by the names of Sauce Boss and Twinkle Toes can join their ranks after breaking free from his handlers and spending four days at large. The bull in question was being unloaded in preparation for the Snowmass Village, Colorado, rodeo on 2 July when he somehow got away, local police chief Brian Olson told the state's Aspen Times. Olson suspected the creature found and forced his way through a gap in the fencing that was being used during the unloading. Authorities spent several hours looking for the taurine fugitive, but he eluded them, primarily by heading into tall brush and trees in the village's Horse Ranch neighborhood, Olson said. Police then issued an alert asking the public to call them if they saw the escaped rodeo bull – and to avoid either approaching the animal or letting pets get near him. Olson said the bull came in and out of view while remaining in that brush in the coming days. A local homeowner told CBS Colorado that cowboys roped the bull at one point during the animal's abscondence – but, as it rained heavily, he managed to slip away. The bull on Sunday then 'did make himself visible' for a longer period than had been usual and let cowboys working for his owner approach him. Olson said that was when the bovine's owner's cowboys finally caught him, and they began planning on him to soon make his debut at the rodeo – which is held every Wednesday during the summer. There were conflicting reports about the bull's moniker. CBS Colorado reported he went by Sauce Boss. But, in an interview with Cowboy State Daily, Snowmass Village police officer Zach Wilcher said he understood the bull's name to be Twinkle Toes. Whatever the case, corners of the internet dedicated to lighthearted news stories seized on Sauce Boss/Twinkle Toes's time on the lam. News consumers in the US are fascinated by tales of pets or animals in captivity making daring dashes for freedom. For instance, a wiry terrier named Scrim earned a reputation as New Orleans's most ungovernable dog after he bolted his adoptive family's yard in April 2024 and spent about six months on the run. After he was caught, he escaped again in November by chewing through a window screen on the second floor of his new adoptive home, leaping 13ft to a driveway and going on the run for another three months before being captured again. Both hunts for Scrim were elaborate, involving people equipped with traps, nets and tranquilizer guns. He earned a measure of social media stardom as users posted videos from cellphones and security cameras that recorded him jaunting through the streets to the distress of those searching for him. Meanwhile, as another example, in November, 43 rhesus macaque monkeys earned international headlines by escaping from a South Carolina research facility into nearby woods after an employee failed to fully lock the animals' enclosure. It took until January for the last of those monkeys to be recaptured. Most were lured back into captivity with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Julius Constantine Motal contributed to reporting
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- The Guardian
Sauce Boss the rodeo bull becomes latest US animal escape artist
Animals that have proven themselves to be escape artists as of late in the US have included a terrier and nearly four dozen monkeys. And now a rodeo bull reportedly referred to by the names of Sauce Boss and Twinkle Toes can join their ranks after breaking free from his handlers and spending four days at large. The bull in question was being unloaded in preparation for the Snowmass Village, Colorado, rodeo on 2 July when he somehow got away, local police chief Brian Olson told the state's Aspen Times. Olson suspected the creature found and forced his way through a gap in the fencing that was being used during the unloading. Authorities spent several hours looking for the taurine fugitive, but he eluded them, primarily by heading into tall brush and trees in the village's Horse Ranch neighborhood, Olson said. Police then issued an alert asking the public to call them if they saw the escaped rodeo bull – and to avoid either approaching the animal or letting pets get near him. Olson said the bull came in and out of view while remaining in that brush in the coming days. A local homeowner told CBS Colorado that cowboys roped the bull at one point during the animal's abscondence – but, as it rained heavily, he managed to slip away. The bull on Sunday then 'did make himself visible' for a longer period than had been usual and let cowboys working for his owner approach him. Olson said that was when the bovine's owner's cowboys finally caught him, and they began planning on him to soon make his debut at the rodeo – which is held every Wednesday during the summer. There were conflicting reports about the bull's moniker. CBS Colorado reported he went by Sauce Boss. But, in an interview with Cowboy State Daily, Snowmass Village police officer Zach Wilcher said he understood the bull's name to be Twinkle Toes. Whatever the case, corners of the internet dedicated to lighthearted news stories seized on Sauce Boss/Twinkle Toes's time on the lam. News consumers in the US are fascinated by tales of pets or animals in captivity making daring dashes for freedom. For instance, a wiry terrier named Scrim earned a reputation as New Orleans's most ungovernable dog after he bolted his adoptive family's yard in April 2024 and spent about six months on the run. After he was caught, he escaped again in November by chewing through a window screen on the second floor of his new adoptive home, leaping 13ft to a driveway and going on the run for another three months before being captured again. Both hunts for Scrim were elaborate, involving people equipped with traps, nets and tranquilizer guns. He earned a measure of social media stardom as users posted videos from cellphones and security cameras that recorded him jaunting through the streets to the distress of those searching for him. Meanwhile, as another example, in November, 43 rhesus macaque monkeys earned international headlines by escaping from a South Carolina research facility into nearby woods after an employee failed to fully lock the animals' enclosure. It took until January for the last of those monkeys to be recaptured. Most were lured back into captivity with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Julius Constantine Motal contributed to reporting
Miami Herald
04-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Cowboys chase escaped rodeo bull through Colorado town. ‘Enjoying his freedom'
A bull is on the loose after escaping rodeo grounds in a Colorado town, several outlets reported. A public safety alert went out to residents in Snowmass Village on Wednesday, July 2, saying a bull had 'gotten loose' from the grounds at the Snowmass Rodeo, KDVR reported. The rodeo grounds are at the edge of the village and are 'near mountains, forests and trailheads,' the news station reported. Law enforcement believed the bull was in a subdivision known as Horse Ranch, a neighborhood with almost 100 homes, The Denver Post reported. The bull escaped through a fence while rodeo staffers were unloading it, Snowmass Village Police Chief Brian Olson told KDVR. Cowboys rode through the town searching for the bull after it escaped, 'but had to return to the grounds Wednesday afternoon to prepare for the rodeo' that night, The Aspen Times reported. The cowboys will lasso the bull once they find it, Olson told the outlet. The police department also used a drone to try to find the bull, the outlet reported. 'He's probably bedded down in the shade and enjoying his freedom,' Olson told The Aspen Times. Police don't believe the bull or the public are in danger, so the department isn't allocating staff, KDVR reported. 'This bull is probably comfortable and fine, as we're looking for it,' Olson told The Aspen Times. 'This isn't really an urgent situation. We'll just let it play out.' Snowmass Village is about a 200-mile drive southwest from Denver.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- CBS News
Bull escapes Colorado rodeo, still roaming mountain town
A rodeo bull broke free of his handlers mid-day Wednesday and, almost a day later, has yet to be found. Snowmass Village Police Chief Brian Olson told the Aspen Times the bull was being unloaded in preparation for the Snowmass Rodeo. He speculated the animal found a gap in the fencing being used during the unloading and forced its way through it. "We have stopped looking and will wait for a credible sighting before attempting to secure him," Olson told CBS Colorado on Thursday. "Probably out of nervousness and being unfamiliar with surroundings, he is remaining secluded intentionally. He has plenty to eat (grass/water) so we are not concerned with his welfare, for the moment." The town issued a warning to citizens not to approach the bull if they see it, and to keep pets away from it as well. A bull escaped from the Snowmass Rodeo yesterday afternoon and remains on the loose in Snowmass Village. Out of caution,... Posted by Town of Snowmass Village on Thursday, July 3, 2025 The bull is believed to be hiding out in the Horse Ranch subdivision on the north side of Snowmass Village and near the rodeo grounds. Cowboys on horseback searched the neighborhood immediately after the bull's escape but had to return in the evening to help with the rodeo, per the Aspen Times. Police also used drones to search for him. The Snowmass Rodeo is held every Wednesday night from mid-June to mid-August. The event is celebrating its 51st year of operation. An undated file photo of a bull at a rodeo. Getty Images Anyone who sees the bull is asked to notify police dispatch at (970) 920-5310.
