Encountering cows
Keep your distance!
Recently, a farmer told me that his cows had killed a fox. One of the farmer’s cows had given birth to a calf in the pasture. The fox – probably attracted by the smell of blood and afterbirth – crept in wide circles around the newborn calf.
Then the fox came closer and closer, drawing its circles tighter and tighter. The calf’s mother was restless. Suddenly the whole herd joined together. They formed a circle around the little calf, their heads turned outwards. They attacked the fox with their heads and feet. The otherwise tame animals were transformed and only let go of the fox when it was nothing but skin and shreds.
The cows literally trampled the fox to death. Maternal and protective instincts turn the tamest and most affectionate domestic animals back into wild animals. It is better to be aware of this. Even for hikers and cow owners, the motto for small calves is always: “Keep your distance”.
Recommendations on how to behave when encountering herds of suckler cows can be found here.
