It has taken time for Robbie Haskins to tame her cows, but it is time she did not have with one that jumped five fences to freedom eight months ago that is causing the trouble.
"He's thinking like a deer. He's not thinking like a calf," she said.
Nearby neighbors claim the 600-pound calf grazes on their lawns and has been known to charge those who get too close and then run away.
"He's cagey. He's quick. He knows the land down there," Haskins said. "He's got the advantage. He has way past got the advantage. He's more athletic than we are. He knows the terrain. He knows where to hide."
Homeowners are putting pressure on Haskins to catch the cow. On Tuesday, a friend shot it with a tranquilizer dart, but it ran off. On Wednesday, there has been no sign of it.
Haskins, a veterinarian, said she has tried everything, but she is not giving up.
"I talked to a friend of mine who ropes. He's going to try and rope him," Haskins said.
Wake Animal Control officials said they will help Haskins spot the bull and herd it if she flushes it out, but she must keep trying.
"She could be prosecuted for the animal being off the property and allowing it to run at-large, but we have not had any advice from the county attorney to do prosecution," said Dickie Sloop, of Wake County Animal Control.
"It's frustrating, because I don't want him out there. I didn't intend for him to be out there," Haskins said.
A Wake County ordinance restricts domesticated animals to the owner's property. The law applies to farm animals as well as dogs and cats.
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