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infullview

(1,047 posts)
Thu Sep 12, 2024, 10:20 AM Sep 12

UK walks through gently rolling pastures can be deadly

Article from the Guardian.

I grew up near a dairy farm, I can’t count the number of times I walked through the fields as a child and never gave getting killed by a cow a second thought. There was the occasional bull that eyeballed me and I was very aware not to attract attention. This article completely changes my perception about these docile creatures.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/12/the-hell-and-horror-of-cow-attacks-i-told-my-husband-to-leave-me-to-die

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UK walks through gently rolling pastures can be deadly (Original Post) infullview Sep 12 OP
About 20 people per year are killed by cows in the US as well, Ocelot II Sep 12 #1
Cattle were a fact of life in my childhood EYESORE 9001 Sep 12 #2
They aren't docile. Cattle are dangerous cpamomfromtexas Sep 12 #3
My father in-law owned a dairy farm infullview Sep 12 #5
Farm warning sign. . . DinahMoeHum Sep 12 #4

Ocelot II

(120,776 posts)
1. About 20 people per year are killed by cows in the US as well,
Thu Sep 12, 2024, 10:30 AM
Sep 12
https://www.businessinsider.com/deadliest-animals-us-dont-include-sharks-crocodiles-dogs-cows-2019-8
but it probably happens more often in Britain because per the Guardian article people are allowed to walk on paths through farmland.

EYESORE 9001

(27,491 posts)
2. Cattle were a fact of life in my childhood
Thu Sep 12, 2024, 10:32 AM
Sep 12

Several small fishing ponds were a short distance from home. One place was accessible off a country road that bore a hand-lettered warning sign nailed to a nearby tree: BAD BULL PASTURE. We knew better than to visit that pond when the bad bull was roaming. As a teen, I visited that place with a friend who was driving a small Jeep, and we went off-road down to the pond. We encountered a younger stand-in for the bad bull, who put his head down and started pushing the vehicle with his head. My friend put it in neutral and took his foot off the brake, allowing the bull to push us uphill for some respectable distance. ‘I think he’s stout’, which I thought was an understatement.

cpamomfromtexas

(1,336 posts)
3. They aren't docile. Cattle are dangerous
Thu Sep 12, 2024, 10:33 AM
Sep 12

I selected my breed by its level of docile nature but we still take care to be cautious.

Cattle can kill. Especially the standard cattle raised here in the US.

infullview

(1,047 posts)
5. My father in-law owned a dairy farm
Thu Sep 12, 2024, 01:49 PM
Sep 12

With about 150 head. My exposure to these animals is probably greater than most people. I too had to cross a very large pasture to get to my fishing spot. In all those years I may have had one close call but I was also careful to stay near enough to the fence to bail out if need be. I’m more shocked that they actually kill people, but I still wouldn’t hesitate to cross a pasture if I had to.

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