This morning, 15 buffalo escaped their their upstate New York farm and roamed the countryside, eventually stopping in the town of Bethlehem. Like some other famous visitors to Bethlehem, there was no room for them there; unlike the Holy family, the buffalo were quickly gunned down.

Realizing there was a “zero percent” chance that the animals could be herded back to his farm, owner George Mesick authorized their killing. “I just want to get this done with as fast as possible so that no one gets hurt,” he told the Times Union before the massacre.

It wouldn’t be that simple, for Mesick, the local sheriff, or the buffalo.

“Hired guns” were brought on for the execution, which was to take place at a nearby creek. As the shooting started, one of the mercenaries was seen arguing with Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, apparently over the safety of the crowd that’d gathered to watch the slaughter. Sheriff Apple took the man into custody. He later compared the scene to the “Wild West.”

Meanwhile, the buffalo took off running after the first shot, to no avail; all 15 were killed. America is once again the land where no buffalo roam.


Image via AP. Contact the author at taylor@gawker.com.