no dog – Page 6 – Cattle Safety

Daniel’s story: Unprovoked attack, the outcome could have been much worse.

Report number: 841

Date of incident: 30/4/24

Site of incident: One of the fields that sits on Draycott Old Road in Draycott in the Moors, Staffordshire.

1 Person, no dog.

I was out for a walk in my local area as I do every evening. I always use the public footpaths, taking me through a number of fields, one of which can tend to have cattle in it. I have never had any problems in the past, however, last night was different.

After having gone over a stile and walked 5-10 meters from it, I realised there was a cow behind me to my left that was initially hidden by the hedge. This cow immediately moved towards me and got between myself and the stile, so I had nowhere to go.

The cow charged at me, head butting me to the ground before rising up on its hind legs. Luckily I was able to roll out of the way before the cow hit the ground and make for the stile. The cow chased me, so instead of using the stile I had to throw myself head first over an almost 5 foot high gate (this was to the side of the stile), landing flat on my back on hard mud that had been dried out by the sun.

I am without serious injury, just a stiff back, sore chest from the head-butt and slightly sprained wrist. My back and wrist injuries were as a result of front flipping head first over the gate. There was no provocation on my part and I did not have a dog with me—the cow was immediately aggressive and came out of nowhere.

Daniel has a question –

I am unsure what is the best thing to do after this attack. I am concerned that if I were smaller, slower or weaker than myself I would’ve been seriously hurt, and I would like to do whatever I can to stop that from happening in this particular field.

Killer Cows comment –

We agree, this situation could have resulted in far worse injuries if someone was not as quick to escape that field. We strongly advise everyone who has had a near miss or minor injury to report the incident to the Health and Safety Executive, they handle deaths and serious injuries and also those occasions where a potentially more lethal outcome could have occurred – and we know (unfortunately) that any attack by a cow is potentially extremely dangerous. https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/tell-us-about-a-health-and-safety-issue.htm

Alison’s spoiled and extended walk

Report number: 818

Date of incident: 11/9/2023

Site of incident: near Tintagel, Cornwall

We were following a footpath through farmland and went over a stile and the next footpath was directly ahead following the hedge line. Unfortunately, right at the other end of the field, directly in front of the stile was the herd of cows.

So as not to spook them by walking directly towards them, we tried to go around. Unfortunately, these cows seemed territorial and were undecided as to whether they were going to allow us through or not.

They started coming towards us which did not seem like curiosity or to see if we had food. There was no where to go and my 14 year old was really scared. I tried talking calmly to them – but it made no difference. They looked like they were on the verge of charging.

In the end I made myself as big as possible with my arm out wide and clapped shouting “Back”. This caught them off guard and we managed to squeeze around them and over the stile. They quickly pursued us to the stile but luckily we were safely over. We had to re-route for the way home.

We weren’t injured, just badly frightened.

Charged at by a herd in Derbyshire

Report number: No. 749

Date of Incident 12 08 23

Location: Cliff Farm, Elton, Derbyshire. On public footpath.

Single person, no dog

When I entered the field the cattle and bull were lying down mostly at the bottom of the field a good distance away from me and the footpath. I didn’t see any young with them. As I started walking across the field they stood up and one started making an awful, aggressive sound. I continued calmly, didn’t change direction or pace and kept walking away from them.

There were a couple of cows very close to the footpath, they let me pass without any problem. I heard more noise, looked back and they were starting to walk quickly towards me, so I sped up as the field is quite big. When I looked back again they had start running towards me along with the two I had recently passed by. So I had to run!

I just made it to gap in the wall before the closest one reached me. I dived through and my ankle caught in the gap and fell. I hurt my ankle, shin and knee as I fell. It was a terrifying experience, the gate very close by was wide open and they could have come through there so I was still terrified as I crossed the next field. Thankfully, they stayed at the wall and continued to make aggressive noises.

Additional note – I had walked through another field previously with cattle (grid ref – SK21972 61197) I don’t know if it belongs to the same farm. This was a much smaller field and they had young with them. The cows didn’t mind me walking through, even though I had to walk straight through the herd and I had no issues, however I did notice as I was a good way over the field that there was a massive bull in there too with no signage anywhere. If it’s the same farm, it makes me think it’s a farmer with a bad attitude to walkers and rights of way.

Tom’s story – a cow with calf blocking the way and a blind farmer

Report number: 750

Date of incident: 7/8/23

Where: Yorkshire Dales, specifically on the public footpath between Carperby and Castle Bolton

No dog, 2 walkers

We were walking through fields toward Castle Bolton, our walk was about 90% completed. We saw ahead of us, a metal gate. On the other side of that gate, only about 15 feet away from it, we saw the rear of one cow. When we were about 45 – 50 feet from the gate we could see that the gate was the footpath’s exit route from the field. The cow turned around to face us directly. When we got a little closer we saw one very young calf (looked like it was born 5 or 10 days ago; I’ve seen a cow give birth, so I’m familiar with what a very young calf looks like,) the very young calf was suckling the cow that had just turned around to face us. We approached a little more, (now we were about 20 feet from the gate) and we saw that TWO very young calves were suckling the cow. We KNEW that we would not/could not open the gate and enter given the cow’s proximity to the gate. Also, if we had opened the gate, a dry stone wall was to our immediate right, and the cow would have been about 15 feet to our immediate left, and it was a long way to the next gate.

Simons story – hunted by cattle

Response ID 291,908,092, Report number 792

Date of incident: 12/09/23

no dog lone walker

I was walking on my own on a footpath on the north side of the stream which flows east to Fordingbridge from beyond Rockbourne. I entered the large field by a stile at the east end with the exit stile at the west end. The path was parallel to a fence with stream lower down & brambles & shrubs filling the gap between the barbed wire fence & stream. The field rises on the right but stays level by the fence all the way to the exit stile. It seemed a long way on level ground to the exit in the west.

After a few steps I saw cattle grazing on the sky line near the top of the field. When I next looked one was staring at me. I avoided looking at them & walked a little faster. I looked up after a few seconds and the herd of about 10 cattle were walking down hill exactly towards me. I knew if they started to go faster I would not make it to the end. I quickened without running. I felt the ground vibrating, looked sideways & saw they were running towards me. The barbed wire fence on my left had brambles & thick vegetation behind it.

Julie’s story – “There are now two cow attacks on Totley Moor, near Sheffield, mine in August 2023 and now a recent one on 1st January 2024”

Update on Julie’s story:

Subject: 2 cow attacks 24.8.23 & 1.1.24 on Totley Moor near Sheffield

Julie has recontacted our team after reading of a recent attack in the same area she was attacked – the link to a press report of the attack follows:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/woman-left-with-broken-leg-after-being-attacked-by-cow-while-out-dog-walking-in-yorkshire/ar-AA1mmi68

Julie say “Having read today of another woman being attacked nearby by a cow on New Year’s day, I have reported both attacks today to HSE. It seems to me that at least one cow in this herd is unsafe to be grazing on unfenced open moorland near a popular bridleway. I have sent the photo of the cow which attacked me, (said photo is now the featured image on this post) The ear tag number is not visible, but perhaps the farmer might be able to identify his cow?”

Continue reading “Julie’s story – “There are now two cow attacks on Totley Moor, near Sheffield, mine in August 2023 and now a recent one on 1st January 2024””

Hugh’s story – Airlifted from the scene

“Land with footpaths crossing it should not contain cattle”

It was the 24^th of June 2023. I was staying in a cottage in Snowdonia with a friend.

We were jogging quietly along the track that led up to our holiday cottage. With no warning two cows ran from behind at us, and as they came from behind we did not even know they were there.

My friend managed to escape by jumping a wall, in the process injuring his knee which needed stitches. I slipped as I ran and fell. One cow attacked me causing serious injuries.

I was airlifted from the scene and spent two weeks on a major trauma ward. I had fractured ribs that caused a pneumothorax (air in the chest cavity,) a fractured spine, a fractured jaw, a leg laceration (massive wound in the leg,) multiple bruising and a lumbar hernia. I am off work while I recover from these injuries.

We subsequently discovered that there were cows with calves in the field. We did not have a dog, our attack was completely unprovoked.

The attack was reported to the farmer who was unhelpful and unsympathetic.

I believe that land with footpaths crossing it should not contain cattle.

289,043,524 incident number 761