Monday, 15 August 2022

Cattle news

From The Daily Mail:

* Sharon Eley, 51, was surround by 20 cows who headbutted her in a brutal attack in the Lancashire countryside.
* She was walking through the countryside with her dog and a friend when they encountered violent animals
* Her injuries included 15 broken ribs, a punctured lung, shattered ankle and broken clavicle and severe bruises
* A keen and experienced walker, Sharon spent a month in hospital and underwent two surgeries to repair ankle
* She is now urging others to be wary when they cross fields with cows in them so they may avoid the same fate


Don't cross fields with cows in them, full stop. And what's often fatal is having a dog with you, especially if there are calves present, which there were in this case.

Her companion warned her about this: "It was only when they entered the second field that they spotted the 20 cows, including calves, huddled together around 20ft away. 'My friend said to me 'oh God I'm not sure about this Sharon' and I said 'it's ok, we'll just wide berth them,' Ms Eley said. 'Don't worry, don't run, it's all good, just stand behind me, don't worry about it'."

And this year's Spanish bull runs were a huge success, from the bulls' point of view. From the BBC:

Three men have died in 24 hours from wounds suffered during bull-running festivals in eastern Spain. They had all taken part in the Valencia region's traditional bous al carrer (bull-running), when bulls charge through towns, often with people running ahead of them.

Animal rights groups have long complained of the dangers for the public as well as the animals. They say 20 people have died in the region in the past eight years.

7 comments:

Bayard said...

Sharon Eley, 51, was surround by 20 cows who headbutted her in a brutal attack in the Lancashire countryside.

It had to be a brutal attack, because she was attacked by a brute beast. Reminds me of this: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/171066485815817838/

Mark Wadsworth said...

tee hee

Lola said...

"Animal rights groups have long complained of the dangers for the public as well as the animals. "

That's the parallel to anti-motor sport (especially anti motorcycle road racing) git faces. If I (and I would not - m/c road racers are nut jobs IMHOP, but staggering to watch) wanted to bull run and risk my life, or ditto m/c road race, then that's my look out. So just bugger off on the 'danger to the public' meme.

Bayard said...

L, the brother of a teenage friend of mine was a road motorcycle racer. He was, unsurprisingly, already dead by the time I met my friend. It didn't put me off having a motorcycle, although I was never tempted to race it, mainly because it rarely worked long enough to do anything like that.

johnd2008 said...

I regularly walked my dog through fields containing cows.Any aggression by the cows on the rare occasion it happened was met by a sharp blow to the cows nose from my stick.My dog was also ready to have a go at the cows if necessary .Never ever run away,stand your ground and be aggressive back.

Penseivat said...

Why walk through other people's property, unless you have been given permission to do so or there is a stipulated right of way? I wonder how these ramblers would feel if someone knocked on their door and walked through their house, with or without a dog, go out the back, and climbed over the fence?
There's a farm near where I live with a notice saying that the farmer will not make trespassers pay, but the bull charges.

Mark Wadsworth said...

We appear to have started three different conversations here..!

L, AFAIAA, the area is roped off and the event announced in advance, so no danger to non-participants. Health & Safety is there to protect the innocent, general public going about their normal business, not nutters in a narrow street doing something stupid. Clearly it's not safe for the bulls, but they will end up being slaughtered either way.

JD, I'm starting to think you've been lucky so far, I prefer the general advice "stay well clear and don't risk it".

PS, agreed. That's sort of the flip side of what L said, do stuff at your own risk.

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