Anchorage

A rogue rodeo cow has been wandering Anchorage trails for months

Author: Michelle Theriault Boots clock Updated: 3 days ago calendar Published 3 days ago



Runner Meg Kurtagh had a Betsy sighting on Dec. 26, 2018, on the Tour of Anchorage Trail in Far North Bicentennial Park. She said the cow was perfectly content to walk with her dog. (Photo by Meg Kurtagh)

Starting last fall, bikers and other trail users began spotting an awfully strange-looking moose on the trails of the Anchorage Hillside. ... Some posted photos to Facebook of a dark, decidedly bovine figure amid spruce trees and packed snow. ... Was that a ... cow? ... Yes, it was.

Her name is Betsy and her owner would like her back. As of Sunday, she’s been eluding capture on the trails of Alaska’s biggest city for six months. ... “I know deep down this cow doesn’t want to be caught,” sighed Frank Koloski, a rodeo promoter and the owner of Betsy.

It all began at Anchorage’s annual Father’s Day weekend rodeo at the William C. Chamberlin Equestrian Center on Abbott Road. ... The 3-year-old, 600- to 800-pound cow had been scheduled to participate in junior rodeo events. ... But she “busted out” of a pen and “pretty much beelined it up to the Hilltop Ski Area," said Koloski, an affable Florida transplant who has lived in Alaska for more than 25 years and who was once gored by a steer at his own event.

Betsy was spotted grazing on the grassy slopes of the ski area during the summer. When the snow fell, she moved to the network of trails that crisscross the Hillside, Koloski said. ... She’s been spotted everywhere from Campbell Airstrip Road to Abbott Road. Cross-country skiers, runners and especially fat-tire bikers have encountered her.
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