Campus Alert Archive
OSU

Two Cows Storm the OSU Veterinary Campus: One Officer's Fractured Shoulder and a Handcuffed Photographer Later

OHotheradvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On April 21, 2010, two cows escaped from a transport trailer near Ohio State University's veterinary hospital complex after their owner accidentally released them, sending the animals running across campus in a chaotic mid-afternoon scene. Three veterinary staff members and students were trampled and one campus police officer suffered a fractured shoulder when a cow slammed into his police cruiser. Campus employees used a water hose to corral the first cow while the second required tranquilization.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
4
Institution
Ohio State University
Public R1 · OH
~61,000 studentsBuckeye Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction265 chars
OSU Public Safety Notice: Two cattle have escaped near the OSU Veterinary Medical Center and are loose on campus. Avoid the area between the veterinary buildings. Do not approach the animals. Campus personnel are working to contain the situation. Updates to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The escape occurred as the cows were being transported to the Veterinary Medical Center; the owner accidentally released them from the trailer, per OSU spokesperson comment reported by 10TV -- an in-transit containment failure rather than an enclosure breach
The veterinary complex is adjacent to the main academic campus in Columbus, meaning the loose animals posed a real physical hazard to pedestrians -- explaining the police and public safety response even for a farm-animal incident
ALL CLEARUnknown
Approximate reconstruction267 chars
OSU Public Safety Update: Both escaped cattle have been safely recovered near the Veterinary Medical Center. The first cow was corralled in a nearby field. The second cow was tranquilized and secured. Campus safety has returned to normal. Thank you for your patience.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The first cow was corralled shortly before 3:00 PM in an adjacent field using a water hose by campus employees including public safety; the second was tranquilized near the hospital -- a two-stage recovery requiring veterinary involvement that distinguishes this incident from typical escaped-livestock highway incidents
The recovery took place in daylight hours on a busy academic afternoon, explaining the injuries -- pedestrians and staff were caught in the path of confused, frightened animals navigating an unfamiliar campus environment
Context

Background

Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine operates the Veterinary Medical Center on the south edge of the Columbus campus, and the adjacent Waterman Dairy Center and Animal Science facilities keep livestock for teaching and research. On April 21, 2010, two cows were being transported to the Veterinary Medical Center when their owner accidentally released them from the trailer near the veterinary buildings. The animals ran across the busy campus area; three veterinary staff members and students were trampled and a campus police officer suffered a fractured shoulder when one of the cows slammed into his patrol car and dented the door. Campus employees used a water hose to guide one cow into a field while the second proved harder to handle and required tranquilization. The incident also generated a press-freedom controversy: freelance photographer Alex Kotran, shooting for the OSU Lantern, was handcuffed and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass for photographing the containment efforts. OSU Police later closed the case against Kotran. The incident illustrates the physical safety risks that arise when large livestock animals escape in proximity to a dense university campus environment, even when the escape is accidental and the containment is ultimately successful.
Analysis

Key Findings

An in-transit containment failure -- not an enclosure breach -- caused the escape: the owner accidentally released the cows from the transport trailer, a common pathway for large-animal campus incidents
Four people were injured (three trampled, one officer with a fractured shoulder from the cow slamming into his patrol car), making this a significant safety incident rather than a novelty
A two-stage recovery was required: the first cow was corralled with a water hose, the second required tranquilization -- both methods reflect the difficulty of controlling 1,000-pound-plus animals in a campus environment
A press-freedom controversy arose when campus police handcuffed and charged a student newspaper photographer for documenting the incident; OSU Police later closed the case
No verbatim OSU safety alert was published; both alert texts are honest reconstructions from 10TV WBNS, HuffPost College, and Student Press Law Center reporting
Outcome
Both cows were eventually recovered. Three staff and students were trampled; one police officer suffered a fractured shoulder. One freelance photographer was handcuffed and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass after photographing the incident. The second cow was tranquilized and both animals were returned to the trailer.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Holy Cow! 2 Cows Get Loose On Ohio State Campus -- 10TV (WBNS)
    10tv.com
  2. News
    Ohio State Photographer Detained For Capturing Cow Escape -- HuffPost College
    huffpost.com
  3. Source
    OSU police close case on Lantern photographer detained during cow escape -- Student Press Law Center
    splc.org
  4. News
    Tweed: Drop Your Camera and Step Away From the Cow, Son -- Chronicle of Higher Education
    chronicle.com
Tags
escaped-livestockcattlelarge-animalveterinary-hospitalcampus-animal-incidentinjuriesohioColumbus2010press-freedom
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion