Heifer that escaped school prank in Niles is named Blossom

The cow that led several police agencies on a scramble last month through neighborhoods in Park Ridge and Niles after a school’s senior prank went awry now has a name.

Perhaps reflecting the start of a new, post-prankster life, the name Blossom was chosen from the names entered into the Hooved Animal Humane Society’s fundraising raffle.

The organization, in Woodstock, took Blossom in April 27, the same day she escaped from students at Northridge Preparatory School.

The students, who also brought a pig and several chickens, had planned to place the cow in a corral they had built outside the school, but it escaped and roamed through neighborhoods, eventually winding up in a woman’s backyard on Beau Drive in Park Ridge.

Workers from Wagner Farm arrived and corralled the cow into a trailer.

“We think [the name] is so fitting since she is truly blossoming before our eyes every day,” the Hooved Animal Humane Society said in a social media post.

Later on the same day that Blossom was brought to the hoofed animal shelter, the organization said the heifer was “settling in nicely and enjoying a lush green pasture. We are grateful that the generosity of our supporters made this moment a reality for her.”

The students bought the cow and pig on Craigslist, with Blossom coming from near Winneconne, Wisconsin. The chickens belonged to a student, Niles police said.

School administrators “refused to pursue any criminal charges,” police said, but the school was conducting an internal investigation.

The students were issued village of Niles citations, which included disorderly conduct and animal feces accumulation not permitted. They were required to appear in Niles Adjudication Court.