Here's a cow-related story to warm the cockles...

From The Metro: 'World's youngest' bullfighter in hospital after terrifying goring. Michel Lagravere, 12, is tossed around by a bull as he becomes the youngest bullfighter to perform in Mexico’s Plaza de Toros arena. He killed the first bull but was knocked over by the second...

PS, more torero-based fun courtesy of The Metro.

Bull 1, Torero 0*

From The Guardian:

Spain's most charismatic and popular bullfighter, José Tomás, was today in the intensive care unit of a Mexican hospital after being badly gored** by a fighting bull in the town of Aguascalientes.

The half-tonne bull caught the famously risk-taking*** torero in his upper thigh and dug his horn deep by raising his head before flicking the pink-stockinged, sequinned matador up into the air...

* I'd assume that the toreros then brought on a substitute and after extra time it probably went to one-all.

** What's the opposite of 'badly gored'? 'Well gored'?

*** 'Famously risk taking'? As opposed to the majority of toreros who are cautious and risk averse?

Cattle News, and a Short List

From The Daily Mail:

The wife of a top bullfighter looked on in horror as her husband was gored to death during a festival in eastern Span.

Victor Barrio, 29, from Segovia was fighting in Teruel, Aragon in eastern Spain when the bull speared him through the chest...

Also from The Daily Mail:

This is the horrific moment a raging bull gores a rider at a rodeo - before going on a furious rampage.

In the footage, a cowboy can be seen riding a large bucking bull at a rodeo in Mexico as an excited crowd cheers him on. But their excitement soon turns to horror as the man loses control of the beast, which charges into a rodeo clown, sending him spinning into the air...

I'm no animal rights activist or anything, but it serves them bloody well right, and well done those bulls for showing a bit of initiative and not going like lambs to the slaughter!

Emailed in by Ralph Musgrave, from The Times of India:

Speaking to TOI, Brijesh Pandey station officer of Itmad-ud-daula said, "The accused has been booked under 377 (unnatural offence) and is absconding after the supposed incident."

Dharmendra Verma, district coordinator of VHP said, "The accused is an unmarried youth and is often seen drunk in the locality. On Friday night, he was spotted having unnatural sex with the cow."

Bleurgh.

On the subject of cattle and cattle products, here's a Short List:

Mid-market 'steak house' chains with vaguely Scottish-themed names starting with "A".

Bull 1; Chicken 0

From The Soaraway Sun:

THIS cowardly bullfighter was arrested for breaching his contract after turning and fleeing from the ring at the start of a fight.

Terrified Christian Hernandez dropped his red cape and scrambled over the protective wall at the side of the ring to loud boos from the large crowd. He was arrested shortly after the botched fight at the Plaza Mexico in Mexico City and released after paying a fine...

I am quite surprised to learn that breach of contract is treated as a criminal matter and not just a civil matter in Mexico.

Zoo animals: fighting back

From Cincinnati.com, last month:

A holiday weekend outing at Cincinnati's zoo turned doubly tragic Saturday when a 3-year-old boy was hospitalized after falling into a gorilla enclosure - and zoo workers had to kill the rare gorilla to protect the boy.

This month:

From NY Times:

A woman was killed by a tiger over the weekend after jumping out of a car in a Beijing animal park to try to save her daughter [who had foolishly got out of the car] from a tiger attack, local government officials said.

From The Evening Standard:

A seven-year-old girl has tragically died after she was struck by rock which was hurled by an elephant at a zoo in Morocco. The youngster was posing for a picture outside the animal’s enclosure when she was hit by the large rock in Rabat.

Not strictly speaking zoo animals but included for completeness:

From The Daily Mail:

A man from Valencia has died after being gored by a heifer in a bull-run near the southern Spanish town of Alicante.

The deadly incident occurred about 1 a.m. Saturday during late-night festivities in the small village of Pedreguera. The Red Cross says the heifer gored the 29-year-old man through the chest and stomach.

(What a heifer was doing at a bull run is not explained).

Also from The Daily Mail:

The wife of a top bullfighter looked on in horror as her husband was gored to death during a festival in eastern Spain. Victor Barrio, 29, from Segovia was fighting in Teruel, Aragon in eastern Spain when the bull speared him through the chest.

And a happy ending help calm our jangling nerves:

From The Daily Mail:

Clearly this tiny baby was just the snack this hungry polar bear was after. In an amazing video a bear can be seen instinctively attacking a baby in a Missouri zoo - but mercifully the tot is on the other side of the glass.

This is all getting a bit out of hand, I preferred the good old days when we just had cow attacks, that's a fair fight at least.

Central European cow attack round up - October 2010

A fairly quiet month, only seven and a half attacks to report, and nearly all of those in Austria, especially Tyrol.
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Tyrol 1 October; Den beiden Muttertieren und dem Kalb war es gelungen, aus einer mit einem Weidezaun gesicherten Wiese im Ortsteil Lenzen zu flüchten. Das Vieh verirrte sich anschließend am unterhalb der Wiese befindlichen Hof und fiel schlussendlich in das Becken. Im Einsatz standen 30 Mann der Feuerwehr mit drei Einsatzfahrzeugen.

Two heifers and a calf escaped from the pasture and went for a swim in an open air pool. It took thirty firemen to help get them out again. No deaths or injuries reported.
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Marbella 2 October: Doch ihr Schimmel kommt ins Straucheln und stürzt mitsamt der jungen Frau zu Boden – und begräbt Mota unter sich. Kaum hat sich das Pferd aufgerappelt, attackiert der rasende Stier: Er rammt seine Hörner in den Körper der regungslosen Stierkämpferin, greift abwechselnd sie und dann wieder ihr Pferd an.

Endlich eilen Retter herbei und versuchen den Stier abzulenken. Der versucht Mota immer wieder anzugreifen. Ein Helfer wirft sich auf sie, um sie zu schützen. Erst spät kann man die Frau aus der Arena bergen. Die 21-Jährige erlitt schwere Verletzungen an Kopf, Brust und Bauch. Sie schwebt in Lebensgefahr.

Female bullfighter's horse fell over with her underneath. The bull attacked her and the horse. She is in hospital with life threatening injuries. Includes a video of the event, very graphic. And yes I know that Marbella is not in Central Europe, but it would be a shame to omit this one.
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Tyrol 13 October: Am Vormittag versuchte in Ebbs ein Jungbauer mit seiner Gattin die Kuh in den Stall zu treiben, um sie dort anzuhängen. Kurz vor der Stalltüre drehte sich die Kuh plötzlich um und überrannte den Altbauern, der ihr den Weg zu versperren versuchte.

Der Mann stürzte zu Boden und verletzte sich am Kopf und im Brustbereich. Der Altbauer wurde von Sanitätern des Roten Kreuzes versorgt und anschließend mit dem Notarzthubschrauber ins Krankenhaus Kufstein geflogen.

Young farmer and his wife were herding cows into the stall. One of the cows turned round and attacked the old farmer who was helping them. He fell to the ground and suffered head and chest injuries. After first aid treatment from the Red Cross he was flown to hospital.
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Salzburg 14 October Die Bäuerin schaute gegen 15.40 Uhr nach einem trächtigen Tier. Die Kuh war mit ihrem Kalb auf der Weide gestanden und hatte sich bedroht gefühlt... Diese warf sie zu Boden und stieß mehrmals mit ihren Kopf, dem die Hörner fehlen, gegen ihren Körper. Ein Nachbar hörte die Schreie der Frau und eilte ihr zu Hilfe. Er lenkte die Kuh ab und brachte die Verletzte in Sicherheit. Sie wurde nach der Erstversorgung ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert.

Female farmer was checking up on a pregnant cow in the pasture. The cow felt threatened and head butted her several times. Luckily the cow did not have horns. A neighbour heard her screams and rescued her. After first aid, she was flown to hospital.
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Styria 16 October: Etwas später kam es bei Liezen zu einem schweren Unfall: Gegen 9.20 wurde ein Landwirt von einer Kuh niedergetreten. Der Mann erlitt dabei so schwere Verletzungen, dass er noch am Einsatzort in künstlichen Tiefschlaf versetzt werden musste. Er wurde mit dem Notarzthubschrauber ins Krankenhaus Schwarzach/Pongau geflogen.

Farmer was trampled by cows. His injuries were so severe that medics had to put him in an artificial coma before flying him to hospital.
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North Rhineland-Westfalia 24 October: Wie die Polizei mitteilte, hatte das Tier auf einer Straße einen nächtlichen Spaziergang unternommen und so dafür gesorgt, dass zwei Autos anhalten mussten. Als sich die Kuh den beiden Wagen gegenübersah, ging sie plötzlich zum Angriff über, rannte am ersten Auto vorbei und sprang halb auf die Motorhaube des zweiten Wagens. Nachdem sie dessen Vorderfront eingedrückt hatte, flüchtete sie in ein nahe gelegenes Waldstück.

The cow was going for a midnight stroll and two cars had to stop. The cow suddenly ran past one car and jumped onto the bonnet of the other, crushing it completely. The cow then ran away.
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Upper Austria 27 October Ein 24-jähriger Kraftfahrer aus Tragwein ist Mittwochfrüh in Windhaag bei Freistadt von einer Kuh attackiert und schwer verletzt worden. Der Mann wollte kurz nach 8 Uhr von einem Landwirt ein Rind abholen. Beim Verladen wurde der 24-Jährige plötzlich von einer anderen Kuh, die bereits am Lkw war, angegriffen. Er erlitt schwere Brustkorbverletzungen, wurde vom Gemeindearzt und einem Notarzt erstversorgt und dann ins Krankenhaus Freistadt gebracht.

Lorry driver was collecting cattle from a farmer. He was suddenly attacked by one of the cows already on the lorry. He suffered heavy chest injuries and was taken to hospital.
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Tyrol 29 October: Ein 62 Jahre alter Osttiroler ist am Mittwoch bei einer Auktion in Lienz von seiner Kuh attackiert und schwer verletzt worden. Das Tier stieß den Bauern plötzlich zu Boden, so die Polizei.

Der Mann zog sich schwere Verletzungen zu, nachdem er mit dem Kopf auf dem Asphalt aufgeschlagen ist. Der Landwirt wurde am Unfallort erstversorgt und danach mit einem Rettungsauto in das Krankenhaus Lienz gebracht.

Sixty two year old farmer knocked to the ground by one of his own cows at an auction. He injured his head on the asphalt. Taken to hospital.