How come Cows Follow Locomotives? - By: Bruno Blackstone

There's a wonderful film produced in the 1950s starring Alistair Sim (probably most famous for his portrayal of Dickens’ Scrooge) named “Folly to be Wise”. It’s set in a Uk army camp in the 1950’s where a freshly arrived barracks clergy man (Sim) tries to smarten the site up by organising a “brain’s trust”. A brain’s trust meant pulling together a team of nearby dignitaries and enabling the audience to ask them anything might be on their minds, not unlike what is often referred to as a plenary session in a current day company meeting.

The occasion is, needless to say, doomed to failure as it ends in a punch up amongst a number of the dignitaries but my most favourite part involves a query from the audience which was “Why is it that cows in a field run after trains?” and the response from the somewhat batty Mistress of the Manor being “in case babies fall out of the window”. It is not a behaviour I have seen personally and trains nowadays almost certainly have baby proof windows. Despite this, it’s obvious from examining a variety of walking and hiking web sites that cow behaviour is a talking point of keen interest to hikers.

Actually it is really a serious concern and there is a rather sad tale of a vetinary surgeon in the Yorkshire Dales who was trampled to death by a group of cows in 2009. Many people are nervous of a group of cows in a field as younger ones in particular might be extremely inquisitive, running right up to you and following closely when you ramble.

Things you should not do with cows:

1. Never get in between a cow and it's off spring. Cows are protective creatures and will defend their calf if they believe there's a threat. Standing or strolling in between a cow and it's off spring is best avoided by staying away from walking right through the midst of a group of cows if young calves are present. Cows generally make this much easier for the hiker by heading away from approaching walkers, as long as they notice you in good time.

2. Don’t allow your pooch off it's leash in the area cattle, and keep clear if somebody else has done so. The sound and view of an unruly dog could cause a great deal of tension for cows, and could start the herd off into a stampede. If you have a dog and the cows get aggressive towards it, let the dog loose. Walkers with dogs have been trampled to death while trying to guard their dogs.

How to behave if a group of cattle is rushing toward you

A wise technique is to spread out your arms and legs to produce the biggest achievable bulk (if there are more than one of you, get together to form a bigger shape). This could well halt the charge. If not then the next idea is to make a loud noise at the cows are heading towards you, and step aside (if doable) to make it possible for them to move to the side.

About the Author

Go to Bruno Blackstone's price comparison site for walking and hiking outdoor gear. This may be located at http://www.myoutdoorstore.co.uk”>My Outdoor Store.

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