Critter Capture: When CT’s Big Animals Get Loose, A Durham Team Responds

From elusive pigs to galavanting goats, police around Connecticut call upon the Durham Animal Response Team to help catch wayward animals.

Susan White, team leader for DART, said the organization only helps with capturing and rescuing large animals, as local animal control officers typically handle small ones like cats and dogs.

Since forming in 2006, DART has responded to calls involving an array of animals, ranging from cows and bulls to horses, pigs and goats.

“We deal with the larger animals, because they can be a safety hazard,” White said. “If there is a black cow running loose at night, it can be dangerous not only for the cow, but for motorists. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

In November, the team helped the state police with an escaped piglet in Middlefield, after the animal got away from the Middlesex Livestock Auction.

“He got loose and was running all around the roads,” White said.

Through a joint effort between DART, state police and Durham town crew members, the piglet was captured. Officials used nets, which had been donated by John Mitchell of Middlefield, to trap the piglet.

The piglet is now with its new owner.

In October, DART worked with Clinton Animal Control Officer Ryan Sheehan to finally capture the “Clinton Roaming Goats.”

The escaped goats, who for several weeks were often spotted along I-95, inspired their own Facebook page. Fans gave the goats names inspired by the Golden Girls, or Dorothy, Rose and Blanche.

“We didn’t want them to wander onto the highway and get hit,” White said.

She noted the goats were frequently seen grazing along the highway.

“Either the goats or people could have been killed,” White said.

DART loaned a trail camera to help monitor the goats’ movements, feeding and health. DART and Sheehan spent a week constructing a corral. They picked a day, and with help from other area animal control officials, they were able to contain, load and then transport the goats to their owner.

“They were being fed inside a pen, and then we slowly closed the gate and got them,” White said.

Last she heard, the goats were adjusting well to being home. Officials believe they got all the goats. While some witnesses have reported still seeing goats near the highway, people may be seeing deer, according to White.

On Oct. 24, Clinton Animal Control posted a thank you to DART, Madison Animal Control and the Westbrook/Essex/Deep River Regional Animal Control for their help, and “safe capture of the three roaming goats in the area of Nod Rd.”

DART most frequently helps with capturing cattle.

In early October, DART helped state police and animal control after an owner lost a Hereford bull out of a trailer on Jackson Hill Road in Middlefield.

“He took off and spent a week on the run,” White said.

The bull, who was nicknamed “Lil Red,” was captured one week after his escape, after Middlefield firefighters helped build a corral.

Last year, DART helped rescue two horses that had gotten stuck in mud in Lebanon.

DART has special equipment designed to help large animals get unstuck and upright.

Back in March, DART was dispatched to help a horse in Durham which was on its side and couldn’t get itself upright. The team quickly got the horse back on its feet so it could enjoy its breakfast.

Not all calls result in happy endings, but in many cases, the animals end up healthy and back in their enclosures where they belong.

“We like it when no one gets hurt, and the animals are safe and sound,” White said. “The most rewarding part is when you can make a positive difference and outcome.”

DART includes 18 people, ranging from a veterinarian to farmers to people who just love animals, according to White.

“We have trailers ready to go on a moment’s notice,” White said.

Read more:
Escaped Goats Captured, Returned To Farm: Clinton Police