A resident in Redmond has everyone yakking, or talking, about his antics.
Meet Herschel, the crafty yak that was caught by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputies after he escaped his enclosure.
“Someone called into our dispatch center saying that it was actually loose and attacking mailboxes and cars in the area,” said Sgt. Jayson Jones, the Public Information Officer for Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office..
“We got a call, ‘Hey, there’s a post on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page and it’s Hershel. He’s out,” said Herschel’s owner Shannon Fuller.
Fuller originally got the 18-month-old Herschel from Nebraska.
Herschel traveled to Bend with three female yaks, but they won’t breed until the yaks are older.
“He’s starting to get into that teenager phase so he’s starting to get a little curious,” Fuller said.
Yaks like Herschel can jump over fences up to six feet tall, and since Herschel was staying with a family friend at the time, he hatched his escape plan.
After deputies captured the yak and housed him at a local resident’s facilities, they posted photos to their Facebook page, searching for the owner.
That post was flooded with adoration for the curious creature.
“I mean everybody had comments about ‘yakkity yak’ and that kind of stuff,” Janes said.
According to Fuller, Central Oregon is a great place to raise yaks.
The climate, soil, and elevation bode well for the beasts.
As for the curious Herschel, he wants to explore his new home, which is why he escaped again two days after his encounter with Sheriff’s Office deputies.
He was discovered missing 45 minutes later and located not long after.
“I hope everyone falls in love with Herschel like I have and yaks in general they’re just really great animals and they’re very interesting and super funny,” Fuller said.
After his two daring escapes, Herschel, or as his owners like to call him, “Houdini”, lives in a bullpen in O’Neil Arena, where he’s fed plenty of treats and he’s not leaving anytime soon.
