Response ID 311,442,303 Incident number 1064 Date: 30.11.24 Site: Davenham, ///birds.intruders.storm Type of cow: Group of bullocks Dog: On lead at beginning of the incident.
Account: “I was walking with my 5 year old daughter and our Jack Russell terrier along a public footpath through the field. A cow started bucking it’s back legs and snorting at us. I told my five year old to run to the gate and I dropped the dog lead to run behind her. We managed to escape unscathed that day but it was an incredibly scary experience and I now avoid that field if the cows are present. I don’t think cows should be allowed on fields with footpaths.”
We should respect cattle – the fields are their home. But how do we do this when a public right of way exists?
Written by one of Killer Cows Team.
A recent television programme on ITV infuriated one of our reporters as we were told we should “respect cattle, the field is after all, their home”. The suggestion being that walkers were doing something wrong when they walk across fields.
Date: 30.04.24 Site: Public riverside walk from Huntington to New Earswick (Near York), North Yorkshire Group of cows, lone walker, no dog.
MP`s Report: “Whilst walking along a public right of way I was approached and then chased by group of cows. I am 79 years of age and I still don`t know how I did it, but I had to vault over a fence (with barbed wire running along the top) to safety!! I was very fortunate not to have been hit by any of the cows. I suffered injuries to my hands whilst getting over the fence, caused by the barbed wire.”
MP adds: “Cows should not be able to be in the area where there is a public right of way. They need to be fenced off. Also there should be contact details of owner of land/farmer displayed at the field edge – I did not know who to contact to inform them of their unsafe animals.”
Killer Cows comment: We have just added the need to identify stock owners as one of our aims; it can help the farmers as people can inform them when their animals look unwell or running free and let them know when a cow is acting dangerously, so they can take steps to protect the public.
All near misses like this should be reported to the land owner, HSE, local council and your MP, yes it’s a faff, but without notification these people won’t know there’s a problem, and someone else may get injured – easy links on this page https://killercows.co.uk/page/
Date: 16.11.24 Site: Colyton, Devon. Walking by the river just outside of the town. Group of Heifers, 2 walkers, no dog.
Report: “We were walking on a footpath along the riverside at around 16:00. There was a large herd of heifers, two were head butting each other in the middle of the path. There were lots of cows 20-30 in a large open field/space. We were cautious and trying to gauge their behaviour. One cow came running down the hill. We walked quickly around the edge of the field to avoid the animals. The cow moved aggressively towards us. We climbed over the fence and into a scrubby woodland patch. The cow did stop but was mooing and other cows came up to the woodland area. We scrambled through the scrub/woodland and came out onto a parallel road running above. We were lucky and made good decisions, giving us time to escape. It would have been very differing we had young children and/or a dog.
We are experienced walkers and have grown up in rural areas.In my opinion, those cows should not have been grazing in the area open to the public. It is far too close to Colyton and other people may end up having a more dangerous experience.”
Location: Chipping Norton – on a popular public footpath through a field to the left of the London Road as you come into town.
Report: “On 15th August, my 83yr old father was found seriously injured and trampled by cows on a public footpath near Chipping Norton. That accident has fundamentally changed his life. He regularly walked that path through the field by himself as part of his usual 4 mile route. There were sometimes cows in the field – which he simply ignored. On the day of the accident, we don’t know exactly what happened as he doesn’t remember it (nor the following 11 days when he was in hospital). At c. 3.30 in the afternoon he was seen by the farmer’s wife, who sent the farmer out to investigate. It was obvious he was badly hurt, and he was taken to A&E by ambulance. Due to his lack of consciousness and subsequent confusion, I was not called until c. 9.30 that night. When I got to A&E I discovered he had been trampled, resulting in major injuries.”
Location: 2 people walking on the public footpath out of Belstone Cleave back towards Belstone on the top path near Skaigh.
Single cow, Belted Galloway.
Report: “We were walking single file along the narrow path when a single cow suddenly appeared from the undergrowth a couple of feet in front of us. In a split second it had knocked me to the ground and kicked me, my husband then shouted and it turned and head butted him in the chest sending him flying. It all happened in a few seconds, truly terrifying.”
“We suffered bruised ribs, legs and base of spine.”
Valerie suggests warning signs or maybe moving the cows to an enclosed field!
Location: Walking on Heart of England route just up from Blockley village and in field that runs parallel with the road from Blockley to Batsford Estate.
Account: I entered the field with my Jack Russell in a lead. I walked a few feet away from the stone wall on the very edge of the field. The cows were a good distance away. One cow looked up and stared at me. She went over to her calf and then just ran at my dog. She head butted my dog and scooped her in the air. As my dog was in the air I grabbed her and the cow was bellowing like a mad animal. She turned away and I thought I was safe. But she then ran at me and head butted me in my chest. I stumbled but didn’t fall. I was so near the wall so I jumped over the stone wall and barbed wire and lay in a ditch. The cow stayed bellowing at me and my dog, snorting and glaring at me, in this ditch. I had just about a foot width between the wall and barbed wire and a wire fence on the other side of the ditch.
I managed to get my phone and I rang 999. I honestly thought I was going to die. This cow was just reaching over the wall trying to reach me. The call operator from the fire brigade was great. They asked if I had what 3 words, I didn’t. I lay in this ditch for over 5 minutes, wedged between wire and the stone wall. When I couldn’t see the cow I popped my head up over the wall to see if it had gone.
The cow had walked off, but as soon as it saw my head, she came running over again, bellowing and shaking her head. At one point she followed the wall in front of me, I think she was looking for an opening to get to me. After some time I heard a human voice. I shouted, “help help, I’m behind the wall, are there any cows in the field?” A lady shouted back- ‘no’. So I put my head up again and the cows had moved into the next field. They have free access across 4 fields all on the public footpath. This lady, and her husband helped me and my dog over the wall. I could hardly breathe I was so frightened.
I know the walk as I walk it at least once a week. So I walked as quickly as possible to the gate and onto the road. There I just broke down and sobbed and saw how cut I was from jumping over the wall and barbed wire. The fire brigade found me as I went to the farmer whose cattle they are.
I thought I was safe, as I have lived in the country all my life. But most significantly I thought I was safe as the cows and their calves were out and free to walk all over the Monarch’s Way that is a very very popular walking route.
I thought there was no way they would be allowed to be free if they posed a risk. How wrong I was..”
Harry has reported this to the farmer, the police and the Health and Safety Executive.
“ Becki was walking on her own with her tiny Chihuahua on the lead when she was attacked and trampled by a herd of cows which included cows with calves of mixed breeds including Simmental, Limousine, Blonde D’Aquitaine, Aberdeen Angus and Limousin. She was trampled at 9.15pm and died at the scene. She was only 29 years old. The pre inquest was 21/12/2023 and the HSE have conducted a criminal investigation and served a prohibition notice on 21/07/2022. The HSE considers that a breach of the above law has occurred which is the Health and Safety at work Act 1974. Section 3 (2)
The farmer knew there was a problem as on the 1st July 2022 kids had been worrying the cattle and he reported it to the police but he did nothing to protect the public at large and our daughter was killed. She had a chihuahua called Zero who was so tiny the cows wouldn’t have even seen him because the grass was so over grown, so they attacked for no reason, or because of the incident with the kids. Becki wouldn’t have even gone anywhere near them with Zero because she would never put her baby at risk he was everything to her.
Becki’s inquest starts on the 14th October with a jury and will last 4 or 5 days.
To say the least we are totally heartbroken our daughter was our world we saw her everyday and spoke every evening before she went to bed, she had a business with her mum so as you can imagine we were so very very close.”
At killer cows we would like to say that we are so sorry for Becki’s death and her loss. We think it is very brave of David and her family to report this to us to warn others of the dangers of cattle.
David and his family add “We want farmers to be held responsible & prosecuted the same as anyone else who lets a dangerous dog or animal injure or kill an innocent member of the public”
Location: Near Stoke Gabriel Devon (What 3 words /// materials.double.survive)
Pete’s story
“The herd were not that far away when I entered the field, but I’m fairly used to walking through fields with cattle in this area. These were different than normal, all black in colour. I walked across the field, dog on lead, and they began to follow as a group. As we neared the gate on the far side, the lead animal started getting very close and aggressive, luckily the gate was near by now, so we just got through as the rest of the herd arrived. Very scary, though no injury.
I would like to see a national reporting site that can be followed up and acted on by HSE – eg warning livestock owners of incidents, dealing with rogue animals.”
Account “I had decided to walk down the road rather than across the footpath I had taken earlier as I had already been chased by a herd of cows. As I walked down the track I realised another herd was roaming free across the track and was blocking the path. I tried to walk as far away as I could, slowly and calmly. The young cows began to bolt around and as I passed 2 of the young cows began to rear up and run at me. I managed to get behind a wall and out onto the main road, I was so terrified by this.”
“During this walk trying to tick off 3 popular Ethels* I was plagued by cows –
>I was chased or approached in 2 fields,
>completely unable to cross 1 field due to aggressive cows hanging around the stile
>I had to leave a footpath and cross into another field over barbed wire due to a cow that had escaped it’s field,
>paralysed by fear walking down another bridleway because of several cows on a path that were stamping feet at me (thankfully a group of bikers appeared and helped me past)
>and then finally when I tried to choose a longer, less safe route back to the start (including a 2k walk on a busy country road with no pavement) I was chased by these bullocks.
I’m so angry that farmers can take no effort to protect walkers from harm and there is no recourse – even if that harm is sheer terror (have previously been attacked and harmed by cows)”
“I have tried to find contact information for the farmer but can’t find any.”
Location. Witton Weavers Way, Maiden House Farm, Blackburn, Lancashire
Account “This is the second incident in this precise field in 18 months. The first incident I hold myself responsible; I didn’t know what to do in the event of a cow attack and, as they began to approach me, I ran (which caused the whole herd to stampede after me). Luckily, the gate to the field which is usually open to the adjoining field was closed that day, and I dived over it.
After this first event, I was duly rattled and then did a bit of research on what to do if I am ever in a similar situation again.
Location: On public access land at Wheal Jewel reservoir – Dartmoor
I was walking on my own without a dog through open moor. I saw a group of cows and calves so I gave a wide berth – about 30 metres. The cows charged at me presumably to protect their calves. I jumped into a gorse bush and waited for them to go away. I thankfully only suffered a few minor scratches.
Cattle Safety 