Another walker killed by cows…..is there a solution?

Don’t walk anywhere near livestock, just because a footpath goes through a farmers land doesn’t mean you have to use it.

I apologise if that sounds harsh and I have deepest sympathy for the deceased’s friends and family.

Animals especially in a herd can be unpredictable.

Cows with calves are dangerous animals. If they feel, rightly or wrongly, that their calves are threatened then they will take steps to protect the calves.

What surprises me about this story is that the field of cows and calves in question was only minutes away from where the couple lived and yet they did not seem to have this country knowledge. Such a sad story.

I wouldn't walk through a field of cows with calves. It was drummed into me as a child.

I don't seem to have seen this story though.

I used to belong to a group of walkers who always walked through herds of cows because one was a man who’d worked with cows! I never felt comfortable especially not as I had my dog with me and my friend was afraid of cows. I used to be ready to let the dog off the lead and run.

Once when I was young I was walking through a field with mum and dad and our collie when cows suddenly appeared heading aggressively towards us. Dad, an experienced countryman, let the dog off the lead and we ran and scrambled over a 5 bar gate. The collie didn’t argue either. She landed on top of the gate and we hauled her over. Phew!

I’ve always remembered that and on my own would never go in a field with cows if I have the dog. I do think, however, if it’s a public footpath then the farmer should give a warning or better still fence the footpath off for safety.

GrannyGravy13

Don’t walk anywhere near livestock, just because a footpath goes through a farmers land doesn’t mean you have to use it.

I apologise if that sounds harsh and I have deepest sympathy for the deceased’s friends and family.

Animals especially in a herd can be unpredictable.

So, if a farmer does not want people to use a public footpath, all he has to do is to put cattle there year round, and no public.

Clever that!

Public footpaths are public and should be made safe. Cows with calves should not be grazed where public has access.

Make all the worlds cows in to burgers :p (that was a joke)
but seriously don't walk on farmers fields (defanatly not with dogs) as it can spook the cows and the inevitable is bound to happen. My son has just bought a farm with his wife and kids and he has already had people startle his livestock (he has cows sheep and reindeer)

NotSpaghetti

I wouldn't walk through a field of cows with calves. It was drummed into me as a child.

I don't seem to have seen this story though.

Me too. I give fields with cows or horses in them a wide berth.

Having read the story it's clear the couple did understand and there was a sign on the foot path asking dog walkers to clean up after their dogs so it was a regular route for dog walkers. Sometimes there were cows in the field and the couple avoided that route and sometimes there weren't. On this occasion they couldn't see any cows and were already well into the field when the cows came up behind them. We have a similar situation, lots of the footpaths go through fields that sometimes have cows in them but often do not. I have often walked on footpaths with absolutely no sign of cows only to find them blocking my way through further on. I know my local routes well and also know what is safe to do around cows and what is not but if I wanted to be 100% sure of not meeting any I'd have to stay on the roads. Please don't assume that this couple did anything to deserve this terrible accident, the only thing that might have helped them was to have let go of the dogs. It's not clear from the report whether they had done this or not.

I knew someone whose father was trampled by his own cows on his own farm, so sad for the whole family. I don't know the exact circumstances.

Before I knew her and before I knew this could happen I had had 2 incidences myself of unexpectedly coming across cows on a public area one time and another time in a field. One minute the cows were over by the hedges a long distance away, next they were hurtling towards us and we got to the gate in time. Both times there was a small dog with us who were with us and showed no interest in the cows at all.

I was a townie, didn't have a clue. I do now.

Fleurpepper

GrannyGravy13

Don’t walk anywhere near livestock, just because a footpath goes through a farmers land doesn’t mean you have to use it.

I apologise if that sounds harsh and I have deepest sympathy for the deceased’s friends and family.

Animals especially in a herd can be unpredictable.

So, if a farmer does not want people to use a public footpath, all he has to do is to put cattle there year round, and no public.

Clever that!

Public footpaths are public and should be made safe. Cows with calves should not be grazed where public has access.

So a farmer shouldn't be allowed to graze his cattle in his own fields? Nonsense. It's common sense to avoid any field which has cattle grazing in it, even more so if they have calves. The problem here is not the farmer nor the cattle - but members of the public.

I lived in a farm cottage in Shropshire for a while many years ago with cows sometimes in the surrounding fields.

One day I heard what sounded like a stampede and looked out of the window to see my poor little cat charging down the field with a herd of cows behind her. She eventually managed to dive through the hedge into my garden. If only she had not run in a straight line and dived through the side hedge into the lane, she would have been safe much earlier.

I am not saying this couple did anything to deserve what happened, but sometimes people have no common sense. A friend was injured when she was walking along a lane and a stray cow which had escaped from a field charged at her and tossed her over a low wall, resulting in several broken bones. Two years later her adult son, while pushing his toddler in a buggy, decided to cut across a field of cows!!! Whatever was he thinking? The cows ran menacingly towards him and he managed to push the buggy into the hedge and punched the nearest cow on the nose before getting himself and the toddler to safety. It seems he had learnt nothing from his mum's experience.

You cannot legislate for people's stupidity. No matter how many rules or guidelines are put in place, some people will always disregard them, or think they know better. Sometimes an accident is just that.

A public footpath is a public footpath, that people should be able to use. When we were chased by cows we were on a public footpath and had no idea the farmer had just put cows in there the day before. We didn’t see them until we were half way across the field. This is what seemed to have happened with this couple. The husband was killed and the wife has been left disabled. The problem is not just with the public. The farmer put his cows in there and most bear some responsibility.

Blondiescot sadly your post hits the nail firmly on the head.

Do we ever hear of people being killed by cows who don't have a dog or dogs with them?

If we do encounter a field of cows with calves we pick up our little dog so they can't see him running around and get as far away as possible from the cows.

It's the herds of youngsters that I find more intimidating; they are very nosy and come rushing over to investigate walkers. They'll follow you right through a field, which is intimidating but they aren't aggressive, just nosy.

Horses would possibly come and mug you for treats, but they're no danger. They're much more likely to ignore you.

It's all very well saying don't walk in fields with livestock, but there is very rarely a way round.

Thank you foxie48. I am NOT a townie and grew up with farms and farmers all around me. This happened to me once- on a public footpath where cows where always kept int he next field with gate closes. I always checked beforehand.

That day, I parked the car, and got onto footpath with my dog on leash. Checked that the friesians were behind the fence and gate in next field, then went on (footpath is about 300 metres from gate to cow field. When we were about half way to the next gate, to get access to old railway line, I saw them passing through their gate. I dropped to the other side of the hedge along the footpath so they would lose sight of me and dog- but I heard them running.

I've never been afraid of cows and know how to handle them. I turned and faced them as they came towards me, and with a very low voice, making myself as big and tall as poss- called 'OH NO- BACK' that would normally stop them. It was clear they would come for me and the dog. Let the dog off the leash and told her to go, and I managed to get to wire fence- but could not escape below as it was fixed into the ground. Managed to climb up near post to stop the wobble then over the tow rows of barbed wire and drop to the marsh the other side. Trousers torn and both thighs torn to shreds an bleeding heavily. Up to my knees in the marsh, I managed to get to other fence onto pavement by roadside and back to my car- took me about 1 hour. And found my poor dog cowering under the gate, she had managed to put half her body under, and rest still in field. Cows had gone, and she was miraculously not injured or trampled.

I contacted the Police, the Ramblers Association and the farmer. The biggest milk provider in the region, and a very aggressive and rude man (not just to me, his reputation was well-known). Had I not known how to handle the situation and not let my dog go, I am sure I would not be here to tell the tale. The farm worker who had put the effers in the field in the morning had not closed the gate properly.

I belong to a rambling group and am always wary of walking through a field with cows. The public footpath runs straight through and it’s a long walk round if you don’t go through.
Most rambles do encounter these problems . Don’t know what the answer is.

A similar thing happened to my dh and me Fleur, except we didnt have a dog. The cows came from nowhere and as far as we knew, there were no calves in the field. Absolutely terrifying.
My neighbours brother was attacked on his farm by his own cows and the man who came to his assistance was killed.

Perhaps the farmer should put signs up at the entrance to his field ‘Walkers beware. Cattle grazing’ or similar.

That way, it’s up to the individual if they decide to walk there, and are made aware of the risk.

Yes, public footpaths are for the public, but it’s the farmer’s land. Why shouldn’t it be used to graze his own animals? If it were our land, would we want people trampling over it?

Probably not.

I'm really not being facetious. but couldn't walkers just stay out of fields with cows/horses in them?

I am finding that the present drive to 're wild' areas means there are more paths that I have to avoid. One I came across recently was a secrion of the Nar Valley Way near West Acre. I will not knowingly enter a field with cattle, even without my dog, as reduced mobility from osteoarthritis would prevent my fast escape from a cattle rush.

Well yes, Katek, and NO.

There are very well established and official footpaths- and people should be able to use them. Public walking in the UK is very limited anyhow.

On holiday in Suffolk one year, we came across a sign on a field gate saying:
Unless you can run like Linford Christie, beware of the bull in this field.

People visiting the country often behave like its a theme park. It isnt! Stay out of fields with livestock even if you may think you have a "right of way".