UPDATED 4:35 pm EST: At least six of the bison were shot and killed as authorities struggled to corral the herd.
Original:
Police are trying to round up a small herd of bison that escaped from a farm in upstate New York and crossed a busy stretch of the state's thruway.
About 15 of the animals got loose Thursday from a farm in the Rensselaer County town of Schodack, on the river's east bank a few miles southeast of Albany.
These are the non-escapees. Herd of bison still here at Gem Farms in Schodack, where the others escaped last night. pic.twitter.com/nn2Kd4Lj2e— Ben Amey (@BenAmeyTV) April 24, 2015
The owner believes they swam across the river to the town of Bethlehem, where they wandered through yards on Friday morning between Interstate 87 and the river's west bank.
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The herd crossed a local road at about 11:15 a.m. and then ambled onto the Thruway in a spot 10 miles south of Albany. Drivers slowed to avoid the bison.
They're running towards the thruway! pic.twitter.com/v8XGowNziX— Kimberly Howard (@CBS6Kimberly) April 24, 2015
The animals safely crossed the northbound lanes -- where they were spotted by a few lucky drivers -- and then trotted south on the shoulder into some woods.
There's buffalo in Selkirk!!!— Ashley Ricci (@ashleyricci_) April 24, 2015
A group of "gun-wielding farmers" were spotted following the bison into the woods. A reporter asked if he could tag along but they "politely declined."
