When we think of the English countryside, we imagine a series of peaceful roads and paths. In fact, in general terms, the UK countryside (“the countryside”) is just that, a large green (and flat) area with the occasional small house before you reach a city. We have noticed the danger on everyone’s lips these days, as we have just mentioned, there are cows in the field too and it seems they have made themselves known too.

Evidence of insomnia. The Guardian told it in a report that echoed around the country a few days ago. Stories like that of Jill Gilmore and her husband Mark. A walk in the countryside with her dog turned into a nightmare for the couple. Gilmore was taken to hospital and underwent three days of surgery, leaving both sides of her pelvis broken, 12 ribs broken, two bones in her neck and arm broken, her lungs damaged and injuries to her head and ankle.

During her heartbreaking near-death experience with an animal she doesn’t hesitate to call ‘Britain’s most dangerous animal’, her testimony revealed a series of shocking facts and stories about an animal that normally makes us smile: the cow Jill was savagely attacked by a herd of 20 or 30 cows, who brutally threw her to the ground.

This is not an isolated incident. The woman made the list of the luckiest. Others have not been so lucky in similar encounters. Brian Bellhouse died in 2017, and in 2020, Malcolm Flynn, David Clark and Michael Holmes lost their lives in fatal cow attacks. Kathy McKellar and Huw Evans also tragically lost their lives to attacks by these seemingly peaceful creatures in 2022, while others narrowly escaped similar incidents with life-changing injuries.

Moreover, there is a particularly shocking fact that most walkers using public paths are killed or seriously injured in cow attacks: farmers are also victims. Furthermore, cattle are the most common cause of accidental death in the UK farming industry.

The deadliest animal in the field. This latest revelation has prompted the country’s media to ask: are we facing the most terrifying creature in the British animal kingdom in the countryside? If we stick to official figures, data released by the Office for National Statistics shows that dogs were responsible for 16 deaths in England and Wales between 2019 and 2023.

Although the calculation periods and geographical areas are not the same, HSE (Health and Safety Executive) statistics for some of these years, together with evidence before the Agricultural Industry Advisory Committee, show that cattle were responsible for 22 deaths among farm workers and members of the public from March 2019 to March 2023 in England, Scotland and Wales.

Without any further information, we can say that yes, there is no longer a fearsome animal in the UK countryside.

And not just deaths. But perhaps the data that puts the danger to cows into more perspective comes from non-fatal accidents. According to the HSE, there were 257 recorded livestock-related incidents between 2015 and 2021 (including some deaths and many injuries).

In fact, David Clarke from Cows (Cows on Walkers Safety, a small group of walkers who campaign to raise awareness of the dangers posed by farm animals) told The Guardian that he believed this was a significant under-reporting. In the most recent summary of livestock incidents recorded through the Killer Cows website since July 2017, the data counted 889 incidents in England and Wales.

Clarke apparently had a near-death encounter with a herd of 24 cows while walking his dog Merlin in Yorkshire in 2014. Merlin did not survive the incident. “They stood up, looked at me, started looking a bit nervous and then came after me. It wasn’t a normal walk; they were all Usain Bolt and one of them ran over my dog,” he said.

She has since set up the website to raise awareness.

Why are there so many deaths and incidents? To begin with, the country’s experts remind us that cows are huge: the average weight of a dairy cow in the UK is 620 kg. “Even a slight blow from a cow can cause someone to be crushed or fall,” says HSE Senior Inspector Wayne Owen.

“I don’t think they are aware of their own size. They head past without considering the width of the body behind them; ‘They’re pushing you so you don’t stray from the path.’ And of course they move like a herd: ‘If one runs, the rest are probably going to start running too,’” Wilson recalls.

Also be careful if you come with a dog. Dog walkers are apparently more dangerous in the event of a potential encounter with a herd of cows. The reason? Probably because the cows perceive them as a threat. “The risk is greater if you have one or more dogs,” says Miriam Parker, an expert who works with the HSE on trampling incidents.

In fact, a 2017 study by the University of Liverpool, based on 54 media reports of attacks over a 20-year period, found that dogs were involved in two-thirds of the cases and 94% of fatal cases, although the sample size was small. When you look at the data on the Cows website, it turns out that 52% of the reports submitted to the site did not involve a dog.

In defense of the calf. This is one of the most plausible reasons for a potential cow attack. The presence of young calves is a risk factor because cows are likely to be more reactive in their defense of their calves.

That’s why HSE guidance for farmers recommends: “Where possible, use fields or areas not used by the public when cattle are calving or have calves on foot, particularly during periods of increased public use such as school holidays.” The problem is that space is at a premium for many farmers.

Suggestions. In the absence of official guidance on how to minimise the risk of encountering cows in the British countryside, there is only common sense advice. Namely: be very careful when you see a herd in a field and of course never walk between a calf and a cow, also keep dogs under effective control and on a leash when near animals.

If for some reason the cow starts running towards you, it is advisable to let the dog loose as they are fast enough to escape and will run away like there is no tomorrow to look for a safe place before encountering it.

Image | Pikaluk, Skinnyde

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