Monday 23 September 2019

"Berserk herd of cattle trampled a woman, 87, to death while she was ..."

You guessed it, from The Daily Mail, "... walking her dog".

I'd also assume that from an evolutionary point of view, the cows' behaviour was entirely rational, shaped as it is by millions of years of wolves snatching their calves.

5 comments:

ThomasBHall said...

How much was her house worth?

Sobers said...

I'm sorry but an 87 year old person should not be wandering among large animals like cattle. Regardless of the additional dangers of taking a dog among animals with maternal instincts, just the sheer frailty of an elderly person being among beasts that weigh half a tonne and more should be enough to make someone think 'You know what, this is too dangerous, I'll pass.' Cattle are curious creatures, and could quite easily run up to and knock over a person who isn't that steady on their feet entirely by accident. A 500kg cow standing on you by accident does similar damage to one standing on by by design.

Mark Wadsworth said...

TBH, good question.

S, there are plenty of healthy, young people killed/injured by cattle. If they've made up their minds, you are done for.

formertory said...

Leaping (nimbly, of course) back 50 years or so, my school had a cross-country course which took in a couple of miles of public road at one point, and at certain times of the year the part which was definitely the fastest on the circuit; the field with the heifers in it. Sometimes this field; sometimes that field..... the suspense was scary. Heifers being curious kiddy-cattle, they love groups of schoolboys running through their patch and regularly used to keep pace with us. So we went faster....

Judged by 2019 eyes, I was clearly bullied and abused by the school. I demand compo!

Mark Wadsworth said...

FT, ta for back up evidence. I hope none of you was trampled to death

And definitely claim compensation, everybody else does.