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NEWS
Ram retreats after downtown stroll
Joe Eddins reportedly saw this ram on Sunday. He spotted the animal in Ritter Park on South Boulevard and 3rd Street West.
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HUNTINGTON -- A wayward ram retreated into the hills of south Huntington late Monday morning, after a walk through the city's downtown.
Cabell County 911 received multiple phone calls about the ram.
The Huntington Police Department used its bicycle unit and other officers to track the animal. Early sightings found it in the 500 block of 7th Street. It crossed the railroad tracks and retreated into the hills, Huntington Police Capt. Mike Albers said.
State DNR spokesman Hoy Murphy speculated the ram is someone's exotic animal. Local authorities had not requested assistance from his agency as of Monday afternoon. Such a request is required before state officials can tranquilize or capture the animal.
Rams are male sheep. The horned sheep are more typically found in the western part of the United States and are not native to West Virginia, according to Murphy. The animals are not within authority of the state Division of Natural Resources.
Murphy compared the ram to a loose farm animal. He said it is the local jurisdiction's responsibility to handle the situation and find the animal's owner, if such action is needed.
Joe Eddins reported a similar sighting to The Herald-Dispatch on Sunday. He spotted the animal in Ritter Park on South Boulevard and 3rd Street West.
"We were walking our dog and she started to get excited and when we looked up it was right beside the road," he wrote in an e-mail. "A car came and it ran off in to the woods! Thought this was pretty rare for down at the park. I just happened to have my camera with me!"
