BUCKEYE, AZ — Long before lumber and drywall developments were staked into the ground west of the White Tank Mountains, cattle and their ranchers were some of the only neighbors in that part of the West Valley.
Growth in the area caused the bovine move away from one of the fastest growing communities in Arizona, but recently, some cattle have been seen roaming a little too close to home.
“I saw them on the fourth hole of the golf course,” said Debby Lazaroni.
Lazaroni saw them by the driving range of the golf course near Sun Valley Parkway and Canyon Springs Boulevard in Buckeye.
She shared photos of the brazen bulls right on the green.
“It’s almost daily now,” she said.
Other encounters, like ones on the road, have been dangerous.
“Every car that’s hit one has been totaled, and I’m hearing every person who hit a cow has been taken to the hospital,” said Lazaroni, talking about what she's reading on social media groups about the loose livestock.
“Sometimes it’s six or seven that are running through a neighborhood,” said Carissa Planalp with Buckeye Police.
Buckeye police shared home security video of the livestock making their way through homes and in some cases damaging property.
Police believe someone is cutting fence line or it’s being knocked down by ATVs riding along hiking trails.
“If you see suspicious activity or somebody vandalizing fencing or something in the area that doesn’t look right, please give us a call. This is one of our priorities right now,” said Planalp.
A big concern for law enforcement are high speed drivers after sundown, when cattle can be only heard, and not seen.
In Arizona, open range law protects cattle and that applies on the highway. So if you hit a cow with your car, you’re likely going to have to pay the rancher.
Residents have been sharing photos of the cows on social media.
Lazaroni urges drivers to take it easy on the gas pedal.
”Who knows what will happen next,” she said.
