[hawkinspeter]

After finding out that more people are killed by cows than by cyclists, maybe we should have a thread for cow related incidents?

Personally, I’m all in favour of cows being forced to have bells if their horns don’t work.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/police-issue-cow-warning-after-9306446

[quote]Derbyshire Police were alerted to reports of a man being trampled by cows in Shirland, a small village 19 miles northwest of Nottingham, at about 7:40am on Friday. The man was taken to hospital with “significant, serious injuries,” although they are not believed to be life-threatening at this stage.[/quote]

Topic

[hawkinspeter]

chrisonabike wrote:

Soay sheep are also awesome – and another an island breed originating from up north!  Although Wikipedia says that – like motor vehicles – their numbers keep increasing until they crash.  But perhaps that just reflects the lack of Soay wolves?

Well, on Lundy the only predators are the humans, and they’re far more likely to buy some farmed non-Soay lamb from the pub than try to chase a Soay down the cliffs.

[chrisonabike]

Soay sheep are also awesome –

Soay sheep are also awesome – and another an island breed originating from up north!  Although Wikipedia says that – like motor vehicles – their numbers keep increasing until they crash.  But perhaps that just reflects the lack of Soay wolves?

[hawkinspeter]

chrisonabike wrote:

I think he must have the ones which change colour with temperature there – some of them are more like spotted or striped Galloways than belted.

We might be wanting to lean more on our “heritage” or less “improved” breeds in the future as the climate changes (or becomes less predicatable).  Possibly in Scotland / Ireland ones that are even more waterproof would be useful?

For cold tolerance though I particularly like the Hebridean sheep.  They look witchy and appear to be able to live off snow.

That’s an awesome looking sheep.

At the risk of this laser-focussed forum thread drifting off-topic, my favourite sheep are the Lundy soay sheep (apparently there’s some living wild around Cheddar Gorge too). Very hardy and agile – they look like goats when they run around the cliff edges.

[chrisonabike]

I think he must have the ones

I think he must have the ones which change colour with temperature there – some of them are more like spotted or striped Galloways than belted.

We might be wanting to lean more on our “heritage” or less “improved” breeds in the future as the climate changes (or becomes less predicatable).  Possibly in Scotland / Ireland ones that are even more waterproof would be useful?

For cold tolerance though I particularly like the Hebridean sheep.  They look witchy and appear to be able to live off snow.

[hawkinspeter]

chrisonabike wrote:

chrisonabike wrote:

I do like a belted Galloway, the mint humbug of the cow family.

I’d forgotten to reply to this comment.

I visited some friends in Northern Ireland, and one of the wife’s brothers lived next door and kept a very small herd (10, I think) of Belted Galloways as they’re tough enough to live up on the mountains most of the year with their doubled coat keeping them warm. He was very proud of the two calves:

[hawkinspeter]

Quote:

A police officer who sparked 2,000 complaints after ramming a cow on a road is returning to frontline duty after an internal investigation cleared him of wrongdoing.

The cow, named Beau Lucy, was struck in Staines-upon-Thames on 15 June, leading to complaints from the public after a video clip was shared on social media.

More than 250 pieces of video, 75 witness statements and animal welfare specialists were reviewed, police said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7n1l72j9wo

[mattw]

Slightly a little OT:

Slightly OT:

Lucky for ASBO dog owners that we don’t have kangaroos. Yoochoob keeps feeding me short of kangas trying to drown out of control dogs.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/land-mammals/kangaroos-might-try-to-drown-your-dog-heres-why

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFTtsmgipd4

[hawkinspeter]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjjwl5g29d8o

Two calves and a cow have died after dogs attacked them in their field.

The attack is believed to have taken place in the field, off Holme Lacy Road in the Rotherwas area of Hereford, on Saturday.

The calves were chased by two dogs before being killed and the cow had to be put down after being injured during the attack.

West Merica Police has urged anyone who has information about the attacks to come forward.

[chrisonabike]

I’m not sure I want to share

I’m not sure I want to share my space with these look-cute-but-are-dangerous critters.  It’d be “just one” then they’d be everywhere!  See HP’s post about the pet cow – you’d never be able to leave your avocado-and-alfalfa salad for a second!

Image from here, if people must…

[brooksby]

https://www.theguardian.com

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/21/minchinhampton-town-england-where-cattle-roam-free

Living among cows is about common sense, say people in Minchinhampton, after a Surrey police car rammed an escaped calf on a residential street

[hawkinspeter]

chrisonabike wrote:

This has already been proposed…

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11758512/Cows-should-wear-fluorescent-jackets-and-strings-of-lights-at-night-council-says.html

They’ll try anything except for controlling drivers

[chrisonabike]

This has already been

This has already been proposed…

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11758512/Cows-should-wear-fluorescent-jackets-and-strings-of-lights-at-night-council-says.html

[OldRidgeback]

Cows clearly need to wear

Cows clearly need to wear helmets and hi viz apparel and need rubber bumpers fitted over any horns. As they don’t pay road tax they should be restricted to mooving along roads at the edge of the kerb.

[chrisonabike]

Some of my best friends are

Some of my best friends are bovine…

[wycombewheeler]

hawkinspeter wrote:

Surrey police have been widely criticised this morning after footage emerged of a number of their officers laughing and joking with a white cow, before returning it to its field with a comfortable ride in the back of a van.

what do people want? be friendly with the cow – be criticised, don’t be friendly with the cow – be criticised.

Or is the problem that white cows get treated better than black cows? hardly a surprise.

[Author]

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