Tag: aggressive

2 more reports of charging aggressive cattle

Event organisers and farmer unaware of the need to keep cattle away from large numbers of walkers (HSEadvice)

Report number: 1132

Date of incident: 7/6/25

Location: ///hello.rise.horns This is on a public right of way near Keighley and Silsden in West Yorkshire.

3/5 people no dog

Report: “One cow eyeballed us and ran at us. The rest joined in. We managed to escape through a gate. We were part of an event. The organisers were informed. I understand the farmer was aware the event was taking place.”

Charged at by aggressive cattle

Report number: 1131

Date of incident: 7/6/25

Location: White coppice -Chorley Lancashire

1 person dogs on lead

Report: “We came across a rather stubborn deer on a small footpath, the deer wasn’t moving and I didn’t want to scare it so I put my dog on lead and my dog began to bark . My dog is a beagle so it’s a loud baying bark – we eventually got past the deer and I noticed a herd of cows standing watching us on a small hill . There was around 20-30 cows with calves . Suddenly I realised they were charging towards me and the dogs – mooing aggression and meaning business – I jumped over a wall with my dogs into nettles clinging to the side of a river bank – I was terrified! I hid but the sound they made was terrifying- I scrambled along the side of the wall and eventually had to wade in the river to get away ! I have no doubt my dogs barking at the deer aroused the cattles aggression- I also have no doubt these cows would have killed us !”

Comment: “I recently saw a person on tick-tock running around cows encouraging people to do the same – telling people they are big soft docile animals! I walk a lot and I have seen parents taking small children up to cows and encouraging the children to pet them. It bothers me how uneducated people are about cows and the dangers . People are ridiculously unaware of the dangers and need educating on how to behave around these animals. Farmers need to do more about keeping the public safe on their land and nothing annoys me more than farmers denying cows can be aggressive by saying they are just curious! I am sat nursing just cuts nettle stings and bruises but I know that those cows were not being curious!”

Headbutted and jostled by cattle

Report number: 1126

Date of icident: 1/6/25

Location: What 3 words: ///delays.gilding.cooking Public trail that goes through farmland between Barry and Dyffryn Gardens

2 people no dog

Report: “No signage on entrance to the field, the footpath passes through three fields, so by the time you see the bulls it is too late. They immediately ran across the field at us, one appeared to be at the head of them and we had to dodge. I had my 18month old daughter in a backpack and the bulls headbutted me as well as my wife, we shouted at them and tried to hold our ground but they were extremely angry. We were jostled and pushed by around 20 aggressive animals as we made our way to the final stile which was thankfully close. I have heard since that other local people avoid this field for this very reason, and that this farmer is known in the area as disliking people on “his” land, and is certainly being effective at discouraging people from using the public footpath.”

“I am a fit and healthy man, I weigh 220lb and have both boxed and played rugby, the bulls hurt when they hit me, I dread to think what they could do to a child or elderly person.“

“I feel fields with large animals should have a fenced off path around the boundary for walkers to keep people safe.”

Jim and his friends met an aggressive herd

Report number: 844

Date of incident: 28/04/24

Site of incident: https://w3w.co/anyway.daffodils.laptops, Stanford Bishop, Malvern Hills

No Dog, 4 people

While attempting to walk on a footpath near Stanford Bishop (exact location was ///anyway.daffodils.laptops https://w3w.co/anyway.daffodils.laptops ) on Sunday 28 April at 2.40pm we were charged by a herd of bullocks and bulls and had it not been for a telegraph pole which we were able to use as a shield we would surely have been in more danger. We had entered the field on the signed footpath via the stile (in poor condition) from the west. We were sat down by a telegraph pole just eating some sandwiches when the cows (young bullocks we assume) started approaching. They seemed very interested in us so we got up. A couple were very skittish and were jumping and kicking in the air. A few kind of charged us only backing off at the last moment as we tried to stand our ground by the pole for safety. We eventually had to leave the field via the way we entered because the herd were not backing down and we were afraid of not having any safe way out of the field. So we sadly had to do a complete turnaround and find an alternative route.

There were four of us in the group, middle-aged men, no dogs with us, all seasoned walkers and were all shocked by how aggressive the herd was. We did nothing to antagonise them and despite trying to shoo them and stand our ground it was clear we would not be able to cross the field safely. I think less experienced walkers might have suffered a different fate. The herd did not want us back.

We weren’t injured, but frightened

We’d like better signage, and ideally fencing being required by law so that designated public footpaths are safe to use in the country – other farmers have clearly taken far more care and attention over such things than this one.