It's fair to say I have more than a passing acquaintance with bulls. 

When I was a young fellow, bulls were frequently an obstacle to be overcome, as they frequently interposed themselves between me, my buddies, and favored stretches of northeast Iowa trout streams. One of the worst examples was a Holstein bull owned by one of our neighbors; this belligerent bovine was much in demand for servicing cows and was the recipient of many a blue ribbon from county and state fairs across the upper Midwest, but the animal weighed close to a ton and was mean to the core; even his owner didn't trust him any farther than he could throw him. "He's a killer," the old man would warn us. "Don't ever give him a chance."

That bull was so mean, in fact, that he gained a local nickname to go along with his lengthy pedigree name; those of us local kids who made a habit of trying to circumnavigate the bull to get at our favorite fishing holes called him "The Antichrist." It was due to this bull that I once learned a 14-year-old boy could, at a dead run, hurdle a four-strand barbed wire fence while wearing hip boots and carrying a fishing rod in one hand and a tackle box in the other.

With this background, I was interested to see another bull, perhaps a soulmate of The Antichrist, stopping mass-transit traffic in, of all places, New Jersey.

There's a bull on the tracks at Newark, NJ, Penn Station.

New Jersey transit says the bull is causing delays between Newark Penn Station and NY Penn Station. pic.twitter.com/UE3zznQAwH

— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) December 14, 2023

What's interesting is that the local police seem to be obfuscating the New Jersey bovine's nefarious intent, referring only to "police activity."

NJ TRANSIT rail service is subject to up to 45 minute delays between Newark Penn and PSNY, due to Police activity near Newark Penn Station. NJ TRANSIT rail tickets and passes are being cross-honored by PATH and Hoboken, Newark Penn and 33rd Street New York.

Police activity: pic.twitter.com/XrtIEK5ZGH

— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) December 14, 2023

In the interest of bringing you the latest in animal-related news, I did some digging; could it be that this New Jersey bull is part of a larger conspiracy of critters intending to interfere with human activities? Here's what I uncovered:

• In China, an ostrich was (allegedly!) causing traffic congestion in a highway tunnel.
• Also (apparently) in China, a wild boar managed to injure several humans before being captured.
• Even chihuahua dogs are into the act; while not overtly dangerous, even these diminutive doggies can manage to slow traffic.

These contentious critters do have their human lackeys, who, along with such widely disparate creatures as Australian kangaroos and Alaskan beavers, seem determined to interfere with the daily activities of humans. It's hard to understand the depth and breadth of this furry/feathery conspiracy but rest assured, I will continue to seek out and inform you of the interference members of the animal kingdom will throw humanity's way.

I do this even though it may come at a great personal cost. Only last summer, while reading up on the various intrusions of moose into the regions of our Alaska home, I felt a prickly sensation and turned around at my desk to see who I suspect was masterminding the whole thing, watching me very intently.

Be careful out there, folks. Watch out for bulls, but also mind the squirrels. They aren't to be trusted.