LIVINGSTON MANOR – A bison that escaped from The Ledges at Bethel on March 10 and was spotted across Sullivan County for more than six weeks was safely recovered April 23 in Livingston Manor, following a prolonged search that drew widespread attention on social media.

Mike Rich of The Ledges said the incident began with a preventable mistake.

“It wasn’t a bison error. It honestly was human error,” Rich said. “The person who was there inadvertently left not one gate, but two gates open.”

In total, nine bison got out during the incident. Eight were recovered within roughly two weeks, primarily in the area around Sullivan County International Airport. One animal, however, became separated and continued moving across the county.

“Somebody had chased them… it was a police officer who chased them with a police car, and they got separated,” Rich said.

From there, the animal traveled alone, moving steadily away from the property.

“She started walking, and she just kept going in the wrong direction,” Rich said.

Over the following weeks, sightings were reported in multiple areas, including near roadways such as Route 17. The bison was ultimately located and captured on Howard Beach Road in Livingston Manor on Thursday, April 23.

The extended search became a frequent topic on Facebook, where residents shared sightings and attempted to track the animal’s movements. Rich said that community involvement played a role, but also complicated efforts.

“It was good and it was bad,” he said. “The reports were good, and everyone in the community was fantastic about reporting.”

At the same time, increased attention sometimes pushed the animal farther away.

“You would get people who go over there with four-wheelers and cars… that only spooked her further and further away,” Rich said. “The more publicity… people would go out looking, and that kind of pushed her further away.”

Efforts to recover the animal relied on a methodical approach rather than force. 

“You can’t really rope them… we would set up a holding pen and try to lure them in,” Rich said, noting the process was repeated multiple times.

“I actually brought two bison over there… basically as a lure,” he said.

Search efforts also incorporated aerial technology. A thermal drone, first deployed with assistance from Sullivan County responders and later operated by Harrison Killian, CEO of Dronealytics, helped track the animal during the final stages.

Rich said the drone was “instrumental” in locating the bison. 

When Rich, his brother and son finally located the animal, they opted to tranquilize her so they could load her into the trailer. 

After roughly a month and a half on its own, the bison was returned to the property and quickly rejoined the herd.

“She’s doing great… it was literally a matter of minutes before she got acclimated back to the herd,” Rich said. “No extra care… she did pretty well out there.”

Rich said the animal appeared to be in good health, finding food and water while avoiding prolonged human contact.

He credited local residents, emergency responders and dispatchers for assisting throughout the search.

“Everybody in the community was super supportive,” Rich said. “The state troopers were really good… the 911 center… they would call and say, ‘we got a sighting.’”

In response to the incident, The Ledges has added additional safeguards to prevent a similar escape.

“We did put an extra layer of gates in… if they ever did get through one, they’d be trapped in another section,” Rich said.

The weeks-long search also produced moments of unexpected levity. In one instance, a trail camera set to monitor the animal was knocked over—by the bison itself.

“She actually rubbed on the tree and knocked the trail cam down,” Rich said. “The next day she was standing [over] it, rubbing on the same tree.”

As of the time of publication, the bison is yet to have a name. The Ledges at Bethel has taken to Facebook to crowdsource a name for their new celebrity bison. Suzanne Dombrowski commented “Runaround Sue,” Rosa Fernandez Zweck recommended “Wanda, ‘cause she was a wanderer,” while Harrison Killian responded with “Hazel” for where she was located.