This token is dedicated after a water buffalo that escaped slaughter, evades police, becomes local celebrity A water buffalo who escaped as his owner tried to slaughter him became a folk hero-type figure in Iowa last week as the animal — who was also shot by police — was on the run for days. Residents in Pleasant Hill, Iowa — a city in the Des Moines metropolitan area — first spotted the water buffalo Aug. 24 in the middle of a roadway. Passersby were puzzled by the strange sighting, since water buffalo are unusual in the area. HIS NAME IS PHill