PHill, the missing Iowa water buffalo, immortalized on a Raygun T-shirt

PHill, the missing Iowa water buffalo, immortalized on a Raygun T-shirt

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Make way, Punxsutawney Phil. There’s a new boss in town.

In case you missed it, a water buffalo scheduled for slaughter near Pleasant Hill escaped Saturday, evading police for five days and becoming an unexpected celebrity overnight. Local residents gave the water buffalo the affectionate nickname “PHill,” and it will now be immortalized on a Raygun T-shirt.

The Des Moines-based store, known for its quirky merchandise, announced on social media Wednesday that it will be selling T-shirts honoring the water buffalo. The T-shirt reads “FREE PHILL!” and is available in-store and online.

On Facebook, the company said: “Free him! He has cheated death at least twice! He deserves it!”

More: Body camera shows Pleasant Hill police hesitant to shoot a free-roaming water buffalo

“PHill” escaped on Saturday and was found just before noon on Wednesday. The water buffalo was tranquilized and taken to the Iowa State University Large Animal Hospital. The Iowa Farm Sanctuary will take custody of the water buffalo and hopes to take custody of two others from the same property.

Des Moines Register reporter Jose Mendiola contributed to this article.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, food and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

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