Breaking moos: Prison cattle stage bovine bustout

Karlen Reed recently got some unexpected practice in crowd control — but not the kind that comes with being Acton’s town moderator.

Instead of settling a heated policy debate, Reed found herself in her backyard trying to persuade a herd of escaped cattle to go home.

It started around 7:30 a.m. on August 31, when Reed noticed the cattle calls from the farm at the Northeastern Correctional Center getting louder.

Reed, who lives on Whits End Road next to the prison farm, is accustomed to hearing — and occasionally smelling — the cattle. This time, the sound wasn’t following its usual pattern.

“I was outside with my coffee when I heard them take an unexpected turn,” Reed said. 

The cows had steered into the woods and were heading toward Reed’s backyard.

She called Acton police and then texted her neighbors to let them know the cows were on the lam.

Her neighbors were quick to embrace the unusual morning. Reed told them she had a cowboy hat and suggested they round up the cattle. One neighbor offered leashes and bloodhounds.

‘Like Jurassic Park’ 

Kate Dauria, who lives next door to Reed with her husband and 2-year-old son, Jack, soon joined the neighborhood’s impromptu posse.

Dauria had been feeding Jack breakfast when her dog began barking at something outside. She initially assumed it was a deer or turkey, familiar visitors.

“Then I got Karlen’s text saying, ‘The prison cows are loose,’” Dauria said.

When she went outside, the loudening lowing reminded her of something much larger.

“It sounded like Jurassic Park in our backyard,” Dauria said. “Just the kind of brontosaurus-like sound, but it was free cows.”

The cattle eventually moved through Dauria’s yard and into the backyard of a nearby home with a larger open lawn. Some wandered even farther.

Correctional center staff arrived and began herding the cattle back toward the farm. Department of Correction spokesperson Scott Croteau confirmed the livestock were “outside their fenced area” and staff “returned the cows and repaired the fence.” 

‘No, go home’

Reed watched the cattle being guided toward their proper digs. At one point, though, the herd turned and began moving toward her.

“I started shouting, ‘No, go home; you don’t belong here,’” Reed said.

The cows eventually stopped and stared at her. She said she wasn’t too worried because she had experience with cows: In college, she roped steers. 

“I could just imagine them saying, ‘Who the hell is this woman? What is she doing?’” Reed said. 

Dauria said the cattle left a few unwanted souvenirs — cow pies — around the neighborhood. A neighbor even stepped in one while wearing flip-flops.

There was some damage to landscaping at the home with the open lawn, but Dauria said the incident was mostly a source of amusement.

It also gave young Jack a memorable introduction to the animals. He knows how to say “cow” and was excited to wave goodbye as the cattle headed back to the farm.

Reed has lived next to the farm since 2009. She said this was the first time she’d seen the cattle escape.

Dauria moved into her home in late 2023. The previous owners had warned her that cows had wandered into the neighborhood many years ago.

“When I got the message,” Dauria said, “I was like, ‘Oh, it’s my turn. Here we go.’”