A SUSSEX policeman has been hospitalised after being attacked by a herd of young tearaways. In this case, the violent gang consisted of 50 cows.
Inspector Chris Poole received four broken ribs and a punctured lung after the normally docile animals butted and stamped on him when he was out walking his dog on the South Downs. One angry cow charged him in the back, forcing him to the ground, bef
ore the others members of the herd joined in. Mr Poole said he only managed to escape when Zak, his faithful golden retriever, ran away and the cows chased after it. Inspector Poole then managed to attract the attention of another dog walker, who called for an air ambulance.
This was not the end of his ordeal. Three days later, while still in hospital, one of his broken ribs shifted out of place and severed an artery. Fortunately, this was detected in time, otherwise he might have died.
Inspector Poole said he wanted to warn other walkers in the area to give all cows a wide berth in future. He said: "It was unlucky the cows attacked. It is very rare but obviously it can happen."
The RSPCA said cows could become protective of their young to the point of becoming aggressive, especially if a large dog was nearby. There are no plans to place an ASBO on the herd.
The full article contains 233 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
