Cows. I've changed my mind.

[Miljah]

Just read about another trampling of a walker in the Peak District.

While having an awareness of cows, especially with calves, and having grown up in rural Wiltshire (but with no specific farming links), I am changing my tune.

I've always been 'walk confidently through the field, they won't bother you'. Tho I don't have a dog.

Cows of my early rural childhood were at most curious, never aggressive (tho always avoiding coming between a cow and calf). Is it a breeding issue? Are more 'meaty', thus potentially more alpha specimens being put forward for breeding?

Do we need to do something about public footpaths and cows??

Last year I was walking alongside a field with cows in - thank god there was a study fence between them and us. The whole herd followed us along the fence and stared at us in silence. It was creepy - I'm sure they'd've trampled us had there not been a fence in the way.

I agree that cows have always been dangerous, especially to walkers with dogs. Cows also do have varying personalities like anything else and some are more aggressive/defensive than others. I don't think it's always down to breed, either.

I have always been told that if you are in a field with a herd of horses, they will usually try to avoid trampling you. If you are in a field with a herd of cows and they start running, they won't give a shit if you are in their way.

Cows do not give any fucks. Honestly, they just walk around with no consideration for their surroundings. I was driving through the forest and about 100 of them were in the road walking forwards. Naturally I couldn't pass them so crawled slowly, waiting patiently for a gap. To my surprise a bull thought it would be an appropriate time for some love making and jumped on the back of another cow whilst walking and promptly fell off. They give no fucks, cows, they give no fucks.

I always walk between the cows and the fence - I'm sure I could get over a barbed wire fence or a 5 ft drystane dyke in an emergency.

They're very big animals, I do the same with horses. Partly because I think they'd smell my fear and come up to me in interest. I prefer them at a distance.
Was born and bred in the countryside.

don’t be fooled by their placid exteriors. they want us dead, there’s a master plan.

once they evolve so their hooves are broad enough for cattle grids we are fucked.

fucked, i tell you. don’t trust the cows.

Having had a friend who was trampled by Cows and her large dog killed, I have become very nervous of them.

This was a herd that she walked past practically every day because the farmer grazes them on land with a footpath through the middle and she still doesn’t understand why they turned on her. There were no calves in the field at the time.

I have read that cross breeding with french Charolais has resulted in more aggresive cows, but don’t know if that is true.

What I do think is that something needs to be done about farmers that graze cows in fields with popular footpaths through them.

Cows are dicks.

Is there anyone here from Newcastle? To get into town from my house on foot (without a massive detour along a smelly busy road) you have to walk over the Town Moor. The Town Moor is where farmers graze their bastarding cows. Even if you keep to the path, the cows don't. Many times I've seen them 'charge' en masse and run at people, usually joggers and not necessarily dog walkers. Once I was caught up in a charging herd and curled up on a park bench screeching in terror in a ball until they'd passed by.

Nowadays I prefer the smelly busy road route, or the bus.

I used to play with the cows in the farmers fields nearby my house as a kid, my mum was terrified of them.

Never listened would regularly run around them and they’d herd around me and my best friend .

We weren’t scared at all.

Yes I am cautious. Twice I've seen a cow jump over a fence by a field so I don't even trust cows behind a fence.

Geordie here - Town Moor is deadly for cows!

I have walked through many a field of cows with or without dogs and have physically pushed them out of the way when they have been gathered around the gates.

Having now heard several stories I am much more wary and would avoid if possible.

I am allergic to quorn

I like cows but yeah.. as a group they can get pushy

I'll just leave this here

But it’s not just walkers with dogs, or cows with calves. I’m a solo walker, the herd in question is composed of bullocks, and I grew up around cows, and have never been at all nervous of them UNTIL the erratic behaviour of cattle on one of my regular footpaths near the village has made me cautious. I don’t have a dog, I do everything ‘right’, including everything @OnlineAlienator says, but I’ve still had a couple of near-misses and now no longer enter those fields.

On one occasion, it was definitely curiosity rather than aggression, but in a steeply-sloping field with me walking along the bottom of the slope, it doesn’t actually matter what started it, the cattle at the back simply can’t stop. I’m not easily alarmed, and I was genuinely frightened.

You can never trust a cow. They're kind of skittish and a bit deranged looking. I always circumnavigate them when out and about.

I agree. Cows are secretly a bit evil. I'm wary of them.

I remember during my army basic training, we were on a big training exercise in the arse end of nowhere in Scotland. Just ambling along a footpath with cows either side, minding our own business when the “enemy” (ie recruits from another platoon playing dress up) appeared over the brow of a hill. Ordered to immediately hit the deck....and I find myself lying on the floor next to enormous Mrs Cow and her calf Genuinely feared for my life and kept saying to myself “Don’t move, don’t look at the baby and she might not kill you”

My DH were on holiday, think it was Devon, and we had a meal in a pub. Across the way was a hill with a chapel, a noted place to watch the sunset. We ventured there after our meal. We had to walk on a path through a her of cows/calves o get up to the chapel. We could see a woman up the top who had got up safely.

My husband was into photography, and as we walked through he kept taking photos of the cows and calves. One of them must have objected to him taking the snaps even though he was not too close and started making this keening sound. The rest of the cows stopped what they were doing and slowly walked around to line up behind the keening cow, all their eyes trained on us. It was bloody eerie.

I started to leg it, my stupid DH stood his ground. The lead cow started pawing the ground, a precursor to a charge. Only then did he turn away. He got a shot of the cows in silhouette against the sun above us, quite a malevolent shot.

We worried how the woman would get back. She strolled through nonchalantly and the cows just resumed chewing the cud, not bothered by her at all, totally calm. It was bizarre. It was like, did we imagine that? I am so wary of cows now. And any livestock actually. My DH was chased when he was a kid by a herd of sheep!

I don’t trust cows. Or even sheep!

I once was attacked by a ram, every time i got up it charged at my knees and I fell down. I climbed up a tree calling to DH for help. He got a big stick and whacked the ram, who ran off. It was at a b&b on a farm, ram was supposed to be friendly. Owners laughed their heads off, my knees were black and blue...

The kids told the teacher at show and tell “my mum fought with a sheep”

ChickenyChick sorry I just found your post really funny. Must have been scary at the time.

Cows know they are a prey species and see humans as predators as our eyes are in the front of our heads; good for judging the distance to the jugular. A predator scans the herd for the weakest animal so it is good to be non-threatening and don't eyeball cattle.Their natural flight response can be reduced by habituation with humans and overcome completely in defense of a calf.
The perimeter of the field is safer than a direct path thruogh the middle and nearer safety. Most country walkers with the injection of some adrenaline will manage to get to other side of the fence/wall/hedge.
Remember your dog can run faster than you and probably faster than the cattle.
It's good that we needn't fear disturbing a bear or run the risk of wolves predating on us when we enjoy sharing the countryside.
All Mums will understand about defending our offspring, just some mums are more defensive than others.

One of them must have objected to him taking the snaps even though he was not too close and started making this keening sound. The rest of the cows stopped what they were doing and slowly walked around to line up behind the keening cow, all their eyes trained on us........She strolled through nonchalantly and the cows just resumed chewing the cud, not bothered by her at all, totally calm. It was bizarre.

Not at all bizarre; completely predictable. You two were acting like predators, taking far too much interest and training a big EYE on the herd. They were unconcerned about the woman because she was.

My advice would don’t go through a field with cows on a horse or with a dog. They get very aggressive.

My DGPs had cows. I was allowed to herd them back to the farm from the field from the age of about 6-7 . Usually armed with a stick to hurry them along.

Only once did one moody pregnant cow push me down with her (not sharp) horns but that was completely my fault as she was nearly ready to pop and they do get hormonal I hurried her along with a little poke to the back. She stared me out as I laid there and I proceeded to just get up and stare back at her and she just carried on walking back home.

Oh and just to point out I have never received them the way most pps do.

They don't like to be startled and panic easily when they are which is when you can get hurt. They can be a bit standoffish if they've had a calf/are pregnant but they mostly prefer to mind their own business.

Oh and I know people's natural reaction is to flight but pretty much any time I've seen a cow run towards someone or towards me was to be nosy and have a closer look at me.

A worked up, panicked and spooked herd could potentially run and not pay attention who's in the way but then again I've seen similar behaviours from humans during those Black Friday sales.