'Dead' End For Tennis-Court Bison

A herd of buffalo that got loose and wandered around a well-to-do neighborhood won't be causing any more trouble: Their annoyed owner reportedly says he plans to pack them off to the slaughterhouse.

The 10 or so beasts disrupted traffic and alarmed homeowners Tuesday before officers managed to corral them on a tennis court. More than a dozen police cars and a police helicopter were used to herd the animals.

"The way I feel right now, I'm giving them all away," owner Gerald "Buzz" Berg told The (Baltimore) Sun. "They're going to the slaughterhouse."

Officers using outdoor lounge chairs as shields formed a human chain to corral the beasts, but one buffalo was seen leaping over a net on the tennis court to evade capture.

Berg, who owns a Baltimore demolition business, has raised bison on his 40-acre farm for about 10 years, mostly for meat.

Police spokesman Shawn Vinson said Wednesday that no charges were being pursued against Berg, who said he did not know how the animals escaped. A week earlier three bison got out through an unlocked gate but stayed close to the farm, Berg said.

Carol Landsman, who lives across from the tennis court, told The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Wednesday, "I saw two police cars by the side of my house with the doors open, police running. The next thing I saw were the buffalos running up the street and they were on top of the crest in front of my house. I went, 'Oh, my God.' It was a sight not to be believed. It was so surreal looking. I was amused. I thought it was kind of funny in Pikesville. What were they doing here, of all places? ... It was just absolutely hysterical."

Baltimore County Police Lt. David Folderauer, who headed up the roundup operation, told Smith, "They were heading toward the Baltimore Beltway, and it was rush hour. That could have been tragic. So obviously, our main objective was to keep them away from the beltway and ultimately, they wound up here in Carol's neighborhood.

"It's safe to say this will be the thing I'm remembered for," he joked.

Police shut down several major traffic arteries, including a section of the beltway, while they tried to anticipate which way the buffalo would roam.

Officers eventually managed to maneuver the buffalo onto the tennis court about a mile from where they first were spotted.