I Got Chased By A Bullock

[eeyore]

its the distances involved that are the issue - on the thames path we had 152 miles of trail, mostly through grazed water meadows , and thats a lot of electric fence and thats just one path

and most land that is grazed cant be used for crops - thats why its being grazed.

[posie]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Would there be a potential conflict with the public being in close proximity to a high voltage electric fence if alongside a footpath?

Albeit at low amperage, anyone with a heart condition could be very susceptible if contact were made.

I didn't mean high voltage, Woodman.. even run off the mains rather than batteries, voltage can be transformed down to an acceptable level.

eeyore, I do understand your point about the grazing animals keeping the paths tidy, perhaps the farmers should put in a bill for this.

Seems to me that the only thing to do is to fully warn and educate the general public of the hazards, and then let them decide where they walk, just so long as the farmer is not held responsible when something goes wrong.. which it will continue to do..Posie

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by posie

I am not disagreeing with the quoted post, but would like to say that CERTAIN walkers also need to understand their responsibilities.... to keep dogs to the path, and under control..because when dogs run off chasing cattle, horses AND wildlife, deer especially, this does not lend itself to good relations between walkers and farmers, or lovers of wildlife...this comes from [regular and recent personal experience
.. Though I know it does not apply to any of the above posts, or even the OPost, I thought I'd throw it in...I'll get my coat....Posie

Dogs under control;
On a Short Leash, not one of those retractable 3-5metre long TRAINING leads that allow feckless owners to claim they were under control

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by faz

far more people were killed crossing the road, falling down stairs, using electricity, using power tools, falling off ladders etc etc - we can't legislate to protect people from every hazard , at some point people have to take responsibility for their own safety.

well said eeyore while out for a walk i came to a field full of cows

something was telling me it did not feel right it looked "ify". so i walked a bit further no live stock in next field got to where i was going 20 mins later
now no one in ther right mind would cross a busy 6 lane motorway
it would be "ify" to do so

I agree with this, I too have been chased by bullocks and heifers and stuff but its just part of life isn't it? I always walk around the edge of a field of livestock and if I feel really concerned I find a way around. I employed several techniques around fiesty youngsters (the bored bovine hoodie equivalent), including walking confidently ignoring them, roaring at them and waving my coat around and all seem fairly effective!

I'd have to be seriously concerned I think to track down the farmer myself. Though if I was to be accosted while making detour through adjacent fields I wouldn't hesitate to fight my side of the battle.

[posie]

In spite of OP's posting, I'm still not sure how the law works, for instance, if walkers were keeping to a path, say, no dogs, and got 'chased' off the path or moved off it in fright, and there was an injury, say a broken ankle through running away from the animals, would the farmer be held responsible..
And likewise, if the walkers, in their fear, did manage to chase the animals off, and one of them ran through a fence as a direct result of being chased off, and got an injury...would the walker be responsible for the animal's injury, and cost of expensive treatment thereof,(animals do not have the free national health treatment that humans enjoy)...any ideas eeyore or YR?..Posie

[Cordaline]

Originally Posted by Your Rights

Whilst out walking with my family (wife and three young sons) we were chased by a bullock. I wasn't going to hang around to find out if it was going to lick or butt us, so we ran to the style and fence and safety. It was very scary and feared for my sons.

I come from a farming family on my Dad's side and I have worked with cattle. We didn't alarm the bullock in any way. Thinking this could have been a dangerous event possibly resulting in injury or worse, I tried to talk to the farmer about the aggessive behaviour of this bullock in a field with a Public Right of Way, PROW, running through it. He didn't want to know, at all.

What an awful experience for you & your family!
Glad you escaped unscathed.

I think it seems very irresponsible that a farmer would have a bull in a field that has PROW!
What on earth was he thinking!?!
Maybe it's his way of trying to put people off?
Who knows?
His response to you would no doubt have been different if the unthinkable had happened.

On the other hand, I do think there is an element of risk when walking through a field with any breed of animals in.
As Wild-Woman said, we are invading their space after all!

I felt very nervous when walking through a field with horses in on the Priory Water WAB meet.
They were charging around the far side of the field but paying us a lot of attention.
In theory, they could have stampeded towards us at any moment.

I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that really, it is up to us to assess the pro's & con's of walking through any such field, before we enter.

Cordaline.

[DorsetDunk]

I had no dog with me when I was stampeded by the cattle
the simple answer is don't go walking in fields with adolescent cattle if you have kids with you and don't go in cattle fields with dogs at all
there are plenty of other footpaths and places to walk without risk its your choice if you wish to put you or your family in danger
thirty odd years of roaming the countryside i have only encountered two herds of cattle that have actually stampeded in a dangerous manor and i done a great deal of walking over the years

[posie]

Hi Cordaline, OP's experience was with a bullock, not a bull...Bullocks are castrated as bull calves.....Posie

[foxypal]

My mum who died last year aged 93 and her sister,,, when they were small kids were chased by a bulllock who was on its way to the market and it had escaped,,it was my favourite story that she used to tell. It chased them down small narrow roads and a neighbour dragged the pair of them in to escape from it!

The farmer caught it eventually!

[posie]

Originally Posted by foxypal

My mum who died last year aged 93 and her sister,,, when they were small kids were chased by a bulllock who was on its way to the market and it had escaped,,it was my favourite story that she used to tell. It chased them down small narrow roads and a neighbour dragged the pair of them in to escape from it!

The farmer caught it eventually!

Poor frightened bullock..