NJ Transit plushies raise thousands to care for a famous NJ bull

🐂NJ Transit has been selling Ricardo the bull plushies for $20

🐂They are sold out

🐂NJ Transit presented a check to the animal sanctuary caring for the famous bull

WANTAGE — Ricardo, the bull probably has no idea how famous he is in New Jersey, but he continues to stay in the spotlight.

NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett took a ride to Skylands Animal Sanctuary in Wantage where Ricardo now lives, to present the owner and founder, Mike Stura with a check for $10,000 from the sale of its Ricardo plushies to help pay for the animal’s needs.

Ricardo, the runaway bull made headlines just before Christmas when he was seen running through the streets of Newark, then onto the NJ Transit tracks at Newark Penn Station. The incident was enough to shut down the tracks and delay service into and out of New York City.

No one knows for sure where Ricardo was running from, but there are a few slaughterhouses in the area.

Port Authority Police helped contain Ricardo inside a fenced lot until help could arrive. Stura was called to the scene to help “corral” the long-horned bull and bring him back to his Sussex County sanctuary where the animal could live out the rest of his life in peace and tranquility.

However, during the escapade, somehow Ricardo developed a sort of road rash infection on his leg which landed him in a large animal hospital in upstate New York for weeks.

To help foot the bill for Ricardo’s care, NJ Transit began selling Ricardo plush animals for $20.

Ricardo is now home safe and sound and completely healed from his injury.

If you didn’t score yourself the brown plush bull with a white snout and white horns, sporting a dark blue NJT scarf, you’re out of luck. The stuffed animals are currently sold out.

But $10,000 was raised from the sales and Corbett personally delivered the check to Stura on Friday, Feb. 23.

“NJ Transit would like to thank Mike for all he has done for our Ricardo and we wish him a lifetime of happiness and hay,” the agency posted on Facebook.

You can learn more about Skylands Animal Sanctuary, Ricardo, and the more than 450 animals on the property, here.

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