Tennessee news paper

Firefighters inspect canisters of frozen bull semen that fell off a bus… (WKRN-TV)
Frozen bull semen spills on Tennessee highway, causing rush hour shutdown
BY PHILIP CAULFIELD
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Giant canisters of frozen bull semen caused a scare near Nashville when they fell off a Greyhound bus and began smoking on the road, officials said.

Emergency crews shut down a stretch of Interstate 65 just south of downtown Nashville at around 6 a.m. Tuesday after panicked motorists reported seeing the steaming canisters and smelling a foul odor.

Officials traced the canisters to a Greyhound bus, whose driver wasn't aware that he'd lost his load, WKRN television reported.

The cattle sperm, which was packed in liquid nitrogen and worth as much as $80,000, was traveling from Columbus, Ohio, to a breeding farm in Laredo, Texas, the station said


The giant canisters spooked local drivers, who said they were smoking and causing a foul odor. (WKRN-TV)

After HAZMAT crews determined the containers were safe, they were moved to the side of the road. The highway was opened up at around 9 a.m. and the bus eventually returned to retrieve the cans.

A Greyhound spokesperson told WKRN that it wasn't unusual for one of its buses to carry bull sperm.

Greyhound buses often transport cargo, which is kept in a separate compartment from people's bags, the spokesperson said.

Nashville officials said the semen spill was nothing to get worked up about.

"It was no different to us than if a mattress fell off a truck," transportation spokeswoman B.J. Doughty told Reuters.



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