Bison rescued from ice-related crash in Butler County, Mo.

BUTLER COUNTY, Mo. (KFVS) - Ice-covered roads made driving difficult throughout the Heartland this week.

Several rounds of sleet, snow and freezing rain made roadways slick which led to hundreds of slide-offs and crashes.

One of the big trouble spots was Highway 60 in Butler County.

A portion of the highway was shutdown for hours on Wednesday from just outside the city limits of Poplar Bluff to Route T after semis jackknifed and multiple other vehicles ended up off of the roadway. A Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) trooper’s squad car was hit in one of these crashes.

Further up the road, MSHP responded to another ice-related crash that required thinking outside of the box to clear.

According to MSHP Sgt. Clark Parrott, a truck with a cattle trailer hit a patch of black ice and the trailer ended up on its side.

The driver and his passenger were not hurt, but making sure what was being hauled inside the trailer was a little trickier.

They were transporting two baby bison.

The driver told Sgt. Parrott he was traveling slowly, but he felt the bison shift just as they hit the black ice. That’s when the trailer went down.

Both appeared to be just fine, but how to get them out of the trailer safely for them and everyone responding to the crash.

Each weigh 800 pounds, have horns and not to mention a bit spooked after the crash.

Sgt. Parrott said that’s when they contacted Hillcrest Animal Hospital in Poplar Bluff.

Dr. Mason Bell answered the call and gathered up some resources.

Parrott said Dr. Bell contacted Poplar Bluff Trailer, and they offered the use of a new cattle trailer.

With the trailer to use, Dr. Bell then picked up a couple cattle panels and headed to the crash scene.

The new trailer was backed up to the opening of the crashed one and the cattle panels were placed to create a barrier around the trailers, like a cattle chute.

Parrott said the door of the crashed trailer was opened up and the bison quickly entered the other trailer.

The bison were then hauled to Hillcrest, where they were boarded in a pen to hold large livestock.

Parrott said there was a lot of teamwork involved and the end result turned out well for everyone, including the two bison.

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