Response ID 311,528,935
Incident number 1069
Date: 18.12.24
Site: Billingshurst, West Sussex. On a bridleway passing through woodland immediately north of the railway line, east of Rowfold Farm
No dog
Kathy’s account: “I was walking along the bridleway, which passed through an area of woodland, with a field of cows immediately east of it. There was a wire fence between me and the herd along part of the edge of the woodland, but part was open to the field. As soon as I came within sight of the animals there was some deep bellowing. Not like an ordinary mooing. I walked maybe 50metres further up the stretch of woodland, keeping an eye on the animals, because the bellowing got deeper and more animals were calling out to each other. It felt very threatening. Then I realised that there were several cows in the woodland, a couple very big, and that even the field I was aiming for to the top left of the woodland had the same cows in it, and they were all looking at me and moving towards me, making the deep bellowing noises. So I turned back the way I had come and found an alternative route. There is no doubt in my mind that had I carried on, they would have attacked me. The ground was very muddy and it would have been difficult to escape quickly.”
Kathy comments: “A public footpath is a PUBLIC footpath and it’s the responsibility of the landowner to protect users from avoidable harm.”
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Cattle Safety 