Buying a Home Where Buffalo Roam Lands Software CEO in Criminal Court
Keeping a 2,000-pound animal contained when the grass looks good on the other side of the fence isn’t easy. And it isn’t required under Colorado’s open-range law, which allows livestock to roam wherever they wish.
If property owners don’t want animals on their land, they are the ones who must fence other people’s livestock out. But, unhappy with that situation, a software executive who maintains a vacation home on property near Fairplay, Colo., filed suit earlier this year. His action contended that a neighbor’s buffalo were breaking through a standard barbed-wire fence and leaving dung, tracks and hair on his “pristine” property, reports the Associated Press.
Then, when the problem continued, Jeff Hawn allegedly arranged for 32 of the bison to be shot in March, a few weeks after he filed suit. He is now charged with theft and 32 counts of aggravated animal cruelty. A CEO for Seattle-based Attachmate, Hawn reportedly lives in Austin, Texas. He hasn’t yet entered a plea in the case, but has hired lawyers and apparently intends to defend himself aggressively.
Few, if any, local residents in the apparent clash of cultures seem to see the situation the same way Hawn does, the news agency reports, and buffalo rancher Monte Downare is seeking restitution of $77,000 to reimburse him for the value of the dead animals, according to a victim impact statement. He also asks that Hawn be required to “fence his property good and leave my livestock alone.”
Additional coverage:
Denver Post: “Locals’ sympathies with slain bison, not frustrated rancher”
