INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

For Sale On Texas Craigslist: Housetrained Bison

By Nancy Bailey
Published on: 06:29 PST, May 15, 2016

A bison weighing 1,000 pounds has been posted for sale on Craigslist as a Texas house pet for $5,950.

The bison, a cow named Bullet, is 7-years-old, housetrained, and loves interacting with humans, according to owner Karen Shoeve.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Bullet “likes staring at Schoeve’s fish tank, which can make her owner nervous. Last week, she ate the Mother’s Day flowers in Schoeve’s room, which made her owner none too happy. Charlie, Schoeve’s terrier, likes to bark at Bullet from the second-floor landing and paw at her nose, and Bullet pays him no mind.”

Schoeve said that overall, the bison is good company.

“Scary? No, she’s not scary. She’s got a great personality.”

Schoeve is a Texas master naturalist experienced at rehabilitating wildlife. She has had Bullet for five years. She is very attached, becoming emotional when she talks about placing her.

“She needs more space. I’ve tried to keep it up. I’ve tried to live the dream. I just… I can’t.”

Before Shoeve acquired Bullet, the bison lived with another couple who apparently let her move into the house. That couple had a bull calf, also, but the male became too aggressive and was placed elsewhere.

Shoeve and her now ex-husband were attempting to start an Old West vacation spot in Ranger, Texas. Their startup included investments in an 1880s bordello filled with antique furniture, an old U.S. Marshal wagon, about 30 horses, and Bullet.

“Within the first month, I was a little nervous about whether she was really that calm and nice. But she’s never hurt me. She leaves this airspace of safety between you and her. She’s very cognizant of you as a smaller person.”

Shoeve took it one step further, according to Inside Edition, and described the bison as being, “Like a ballerina.”

“When she runs, she looks like Pepe le Pew. I really hadn’t planned on saying ‘Bullet, I’m going to let you become my indoor buffalo.'”

Bullet took the bull by the horns, taking advantage of a house door that swung open during windy days.

Shoeve’s marriage and the business endeavor ended in 2014, and she was left with the livestock. She is giving Bullet “a happy life,” according to the Dallas Morning News, “rolling in the mud and hanging out in her paddock with two paint ponies, Deuteronomy and Bam-Bam.”

Shoeve works full-time as a court reporter now.

“I’m working and feeding animals and working and feeding animals. It’s just been hard for me to keep up. The best thing for me is to get everybody a good home, especially Bullet, because she deserves the best.”

Shoeve said that her Craigslist ad was flagged. She has received complaints that Bullet should be placed with other livestock. But the animal has imprinted on humans and thus requires plenty of contact with people.

Bullet is the exception. Despite their cuddly appearance, bison, as a rule, are very dangerous, and yet wild ones are often subject to human encounters. A current trending story involves a wild bison calf being picked up by tourists in Yellowstone park who drove it around in their car, thinking it was suffering in the cold.

Bison attacks at Yellowstone hit a spike last year, as people approach too close to take selfies and some even attempt to pet the animals, according to an article by the Inquisitr.

Shoeve has received plenty of interest in Bullet from her ad. She is interviewing a couple to consider adoption and is also considering placing her with a camp for kids with autism.

[Image via Lorraine Logan]

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