Escaped Steer Ricardo Finds Sanctuary, Inspires Plush Toy

New Jersey Transit capitalizes on incident with Ricardo-themed merchandise, drawing mixed reactions from the public.

A Texas Longhorn steer, now named Ricardo, escaped from a slaughterhouse and was found trotting down the tracks at Newark Penn Station, causing delays and attracting widespread attention on social media.
Mike Stura, a retired trucker who runs a New Jersey animal sanctuary, was alerted to the situation and quickly arrived on the scene to rescue Ricardo.
Ricardo was tranquilized and captured by the Newark police, then transported to Stura's Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue, where he was declared healthy and is now living peacefully.
New Jersey Transit, in response to Ricardo's newfound fame, is selling a plush toy in his likeness for $20, with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue.
Some commuters and social media users criticized New Jersey Transit for capitalizing on the incident, suggesting that the company should focus on improving its service instead.