Bubba the ram sold for $300 to rescue group

Animal advocates purchased the ram at a 10 a.m. auction held by the Durham County Sheriff’s Office at Elodie Farms in Rougemont, the ram’s home for the last month. Its $300 price tag will put a dent in $800 in boarding and veterinary costs, including care for an ingrown horn, and rescuers hope the ram will find home at a North Carolina farm after a short stay in a foster home.

Deputies, who first spotted Bubba in August near the Streets at Southpoint mall, said the ram eluded capture several times before being lured into a custom-built pen in December with apples and sweet corn as bait.

Bubba escaped deputies with catch poles, a large animal veterinarian with tranquilizers and nets and a lasso expert, even jumping a 4-foot horse fence, said Deputy Paul Sherwin, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

Red Dog Farm, a Greensboro-based animal rescue group, is covering the ram’s veterinary costs and arranging a foster home while searching for an adopter. Any potential adopters must agree not to use Bubba for commercial purposes and not to sell or transfer the ram for the rest of its life.

Bubba’s origin remains a mystery, but exotic sheep are often used for sport hunting, although hunts featuring exotic animals in fenced areas are banned in North Carolina.