Report number: 970
Date of incident: 28/2/2015
Location: Nr Oswestry, Shropshire ///lies.footpath.internet
Report “I was walking along the footpath, on my own, with no dog, at the place previously mentioned. 20 to 30 bullocks were in the field. They were pretty frisky and interested in me and started heading towards me when I entered the field. They followed me along the hedge line but I wasn’t too worried as cattle do get interested in visitors and I knew they would back off if I stopped and approached them. They started to get a bit closer and broke into a gallop. I stopped and jumped towards them to get them to back off. The nearest to me veered away but those behind hadn’t seen my signal and ploughed on toward me. The inertia of the herd left them no choice but to barge into me, knocking me down. Lucky I was next to a barbed wire line and was knocked under it and into the hedge. The bullocks thundered past and it was only by chance that I wasn’t trampled as my head and legs were only inches from their hooves. The barbed wire ripped my clothes and left some quite deep scratches in my back and side and the hedge left me with bruises and scratches. I lay there for a short time in a bit of shock I suppose.
The cattle had wandered off and I got out of the field and carried on my walk. I think I realised a short time later how lucky I was and headed home for a sit down. I suffered barbed wire scratches to my back and scratches from the hedge.
I’ve been around cattle my whole life and thought I understood them. I’d been with stampeding cattle before and they usually swerve if challenged. In this case, the topography and way the herd was closely packed meant that most of the herd didn’t see my challenge and continued their stampede. I would have ducked through the hedge had I thought there was a chance most of the herd wouldn’t see my challenge.”
Cattle Safety 