Water buffalo’s escape inspires shift to veganism

5/6/2026

A four-legged media sensation in Pleasant Hill went viral in 2024.

A water buffalo named Phill — named after Pleasant Hill and known as P-Hill — escaped from his handler’s home. The nearly half-ton animal wandered into the city before police shot him. Homeowners captured video on doorbell cameras, and he was eventually captured.

Phill escaped slaughter and was brought to live out his life at the Iowa Farm Sanctuary.

The sanctuary is a nonprofit that provides a safe haven for rescued farm animals, including some with special needs. Pigs that have fallen off trailers on the interstate have found a home there. It is located outside Oxford, about 100 miles east of Des Moines.

Sara Schroeder, who lives in rural Baxter County, was intrigued by Phill.

“I was captivated by his story. He was going to live at the sanctuary. I had tears rolling down my face,” she said. “I was moved by what they are doing for farm animals.”

After sponsoring Phill with a donation, she began reading books about veganism.

“I’ve lived in Iowa my whole life. I never considered being a vegan,” she said. “I made a decision to become one because of Phill. It changed my entire lifestyle. It was like an epiphany.”

She began volunteering at the sanctuary and joined its board in 2025.

Schroeder has been an animal lover her whole life, growing up with dogs. Her grandparents raised animals on a farm. Today, she and her family have four goats, three dogs and a cat.

Schroeder formerly worked in the pork industry and now works for Girl Scouts of Greater Des Moines.

“After I left the pork industry and worked for the Girl Scouts, the aspect of working for a nonprofit is important,” she said. “It connected with how I felt about the sanctuary and why I got involved.”

She said her decision to embrace veganism came from firsthand experience.

“I saw firsthand what happened in these facilities. It’s come full circle, and I made a decision that was right for me,” Schroeder said.

The Iowa Farm Sanctuary was established 10 years ago and has saved more than 150 farm animals, including cows, goats, pigs and turkeys. The sanctuary offers Sunday afternoon strolls where the public can meet the animals and read their stories.

Because of her “obsession” with Phill, Schroeder got a tattoo of an abstract water buffalo and goat.

“In Phill, I saw courage,” she said. “He saw a friend slaughtered, then escaped and survived after being shot. His will to live was so strong, and it spoke to me. It made me think of my goats. I love them to death.”

Phill died in February 2025.

Schroeder said animals of all species form relationships with humans.

“It’s not any different than with my dog or cat,” she said. “There is just as much love and connection with other animals.”

For more information about the Iowa Farm Sanctuary, visit www.iowafarmsanctuary.org. ♦