Former owner of water buffalo that roamed Iowa suburb for days pleads guilty

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a water buffalo that ran loose in a Des Moines, Iowa, suburb for days pleaded guilty for having an animal at large.

The owner was fined $105 and court costs Thursday, the Des Moines Register reported.

The owner was taking the animal to slaughter when it escaped in August.

Police spent days searching for it as it roamed Pleasant Hill, a town of 11,000 residents. Fans named the animal PHill after the city.

Police at one point shot PHill while trying to capture the animal, but it escaped and continued to roam for several days before being tranquilized with help from zoo and animal rescue workers.

The former owner gave custody of PHill and two other water buffaloes — now named Sal and Jane — to an animal shelter.

The water buffalo was treated at a large animal hospital for an infected gunshot wound. Iowa Farm Sanctuary said PHill is recovering well.

Water buffaloes can weigh up to 2,650 pounds (1,200 kilograms), according to the website for National Geographic, though the Iowa animal appears smaller in photos. Often domesticated, the water buffalo is the largest member of the Bovini tribe, which includes yak, bison, African buffalo, various species of wild cattle, and others, the website said.