GILBERT, AZ — “It’s not cute anymore.”
That’s what some in the Adora Trails community say about cows roaming freely in the neighborhood.
The county, town and Gila River community are now organizing to find a solution.
”It was fun in the beginning, it was a little like, ‘Wow there’s cows out here now they’re on our street, that’s cute’ – it’s not cute anymore,” said Heather Riccobono. ”Someone is going to get hurt,” she said.
Wednesday morning, she caught video of Gila River police trying to wrangle a whole herd as people were headed to work and school.
”Those vehicles and those cows are weaving in and out of traffic. It is right in front of the school where this is happening, it’s school hours, kids are about to go into the school,” she said.
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Not even a month the job as a newly-elected Maricopa County Supervisor and Southeast Valley Representative Mark Stewart says these cows are the biggest issue he’s faced so far. Every day he says he gets a call or an email about it.
Gilbert Police tell ABC15 they got north of 70 calls about cows in Adora Trails throughout 2024.
Supervisor Stewart says if you see them, call Gilbert Police’s Non-emergency line at 480-503-6500. A longer-term solution could be to build a better fence - among other suggestions.
”We may hire a wrangler. Literal guy on a horse who would go in and wrangle these cows up and move back in the reservations so that could be interesting for sure,” said Stewart.
Police tell ABC15 the livestock have either let themselves in from the neighboring Gila River community or have wandered in after someone criminally cut the barbwire to ride off-road vehicles.
Earlier this month, a Gila River Officer needed stitches trying to repair the fence.
The Adora Trails HOA previously told ABC15 that the Town of Gilbert could benefit from better enforcement of its ordinance or to revise it.
That ordinance says all animals shall be kept in a suitable enclosure and shall not be permitted to run at large.
Next Tuesday, January 28th, Gilbert will host a study session on the issue at 50 E Civic Center Drive at 4:30 p.m.
