JONES, Okla. (AP) – A farmer in a rural suburb outside of Oklahoma City was fatally attacked by a pair of water buffaloes he purchased at a livestock auction a day earlier, police said.

Bradley McMichael, a farmer in the small town of Jones, suffered deep lacerations in the attack July 11, Jones Police Chief Bryan Farrington said in a statement. The animals were so aggressive that first responders couldn’t get to the victim at first, he said.

One water buffalo was euthanized immediately and the other was put down after it became increasingly agitated and threatening, Farrington said.

Police say they believe McMichael had purchased the two animals a day earlier and became trapped inside in an enclosure while he was tending to them.

McMichael’s former wife, Amy Smith, said caring for livestock was his passion.

“The cattle farming, that’s his thing,” Smith told television station KFOR. “He’s been here his whole life, and he’s done that his whole life. So, he’s an experienced cattle handler and a farmer.”

Although water buffalo are not commonly raised in the U.S., they are known for their milk production and lean cuts of beef, according to the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation.