- Tri-Cities Central
- Posts
- The great cow escape of 2025
The great cow escape of 2025
On July 3, more than 30 cows escaped from Elburn's Rustic Road Farm and wandered onto nearby roads and fields. An all-hands-on-deck search ensued, and nearly all have been found and returned to the farm.
Welcome to Tri-Cities Central, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting local happenings in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and surrounding communities.
Get yours: subscribe here. Refer a friend: share this link.

📸 Credit: Rustic Road Farm on Facebook
The Kane County Sheriff's Office reported on the morning of July 3 that deputies were working to round up a group of escaped cattle in unincorporated Maple Park near Keslinger, Meredith and Watson Roads.
The Daily Herald then confirmed that a herd of 32 cows had escaped from Rustic Road Farm in Elburn.
After days of searching, nearly all of the 32 cattle that escaped have been safely returned. As of Saturday night, one was still on the loose.
The search has involved a wide range of helpers: SmithicAir drone pilots, 2B Wild Cattle Catching Services (complete with horses and dogs), Rustic Road Farm staff, and supportive neighbors.
See for yourself
The groups posted updates to social media during the search, including:
A POV video of a searcher on horseback in a cornfield
Drone videos recapping highlights from Days 1 & 2 and Day 3 of the search from SmithicAir
Video of several cattle wandering through a field during the night
Photos from the first couple of days of the search
Rustic Road Farm thanked everyone involved, calling the search team “relentless in their pursuit” of the herd.
📖 Thanks for reading
Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.
Not signed up yet? Subscribe here.
Reply