Thursday 19 August 2021

"Woman in her 30s is airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a COW"

Spotted by TBH in The Daily Mail:

South Wales Police read [sic]: 'At around 3pm yesterday, emergency services were called to a farm in Southgate, Swansea, where a woman, reportedly in her 30s, had been struck by a cow. She was airlifted to University Hospital of Wales where she is being treated for her injuries.'

It is not known what happened to the cow, though there are some unconfirmed reports that it was shot.


That's not much of a sanction, given what happens to most cattle.

The Gower commons are traditionally grazed by local commoners' animals. It is legal in the area and considered to be an essential part of the farm economy of the Gower Peninsula area, as well as being helpful to maintain natural habitats.

That's true! We were on holiday there a few years ago. They don't seem to bother with fences and some sheep sauntered off their field and lay down in the middle of the road, luckily they moved on after a minute or two.

And now, some sensible advice they should print on the back of every tin of dog food:

Pennard Community Council warns on its website that people in the area should 'be aware' of grazing farm animals on the commons and should follow these precautions:
Keep dogs on a leash whenever near grazing animals, unless animals chase the dog, then just let go of the dog;
Keep young children under close parental control;
Do not come between cows and their calves;
Observe the presence of a bull (or bulls) and do not go between them and the cows;
Do not approach within 5m of grazing cattle;
Do not walk between closely assembled grazing animals.

8 comments:

Penseivat said...

When I saw the headline, I thought it was about Cherie Blair losing her rag. Silly me ;-)

Rich Tee said...

It's good advice, but last time I was in the Yorkshire Dales, although I always tried to give them a wide berth, they would often be crowded around the only gate in a wall or would be sitting in the middle of paths. I did not have a dog though.

Mark Wadsworth said...

PS, no, that would be "attacked by post box".

RT, they know what they are doing...

A K Haart said...

We find bulls are generally uninterested in people but cows are best avoided. Giving them a wide berth is usually easy enough, they don't scatter themselves evenly across a field.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Akh, unless they are lying in wait, as RT says they do.

johnd2008 said...

Advice from a veteran dog/footpath walker. Young Bullocks are the worst as they are naturally curious. The worst thing to do is run,as they will be faster than you. Always carry a stout stick and if they get really close and dangerous,stand still,and fetch the nearest one a smart blow on the tip of its nose.Really hard.It will recoil and start to run and the rest will go with it. It worked for me every time.

Mark Wadsworth said...

JD, you are a braver man than I am!

James Higham said...

Important, yes!