Cattle and public access in England and Wales - HSE leaflet: [LINK]
"All large animals are potentially dangerous. Farmers try to ensure that the cattle they own or breed from are of a normally quiet temperament. However, when under stress, eg because of the weather, illness, unusual disturbance, or when maternal instincts are aroused, even normally placid cattle can become aggressive. Even gentle knocks from cattle can result in people being injured. All breeds should be treated with respect."
"When considering where to keep animals you should take into account the amount and type of public access in different areas of the land you manage (eg large groups of walkers with dogs every day, groups of children, or infrequent lone walkers). This will help you decide whether the cattle should be kept in certain areas and what precautions you need to take."
"consider whether it is reasonably practicable to temporarily fence alongside a public right of way so that the cattle and people are kept separate. Take care not to obstruct rights of way by fencing across them;"
"Wherever possible keep cattle in fields that do not have public access"
SWT advice to walkers on Barossa Common:
If you do visit Barossa and come across the cattle there are some simple measures you can take to ensure you enjoy their company:
• Do not feed them or try to touch them.
• If you have a dog, walk around the cattle or choose another route if they are in the way.
• Keep your dog on a lead.
• If you feel threatened by the cattle don’t panic and run away, they’re probably being inquisitive and might run to keep up with you. If you stop they will keep a safe distance from you.
• In the unlikely event that the cattle do chase you, just let go of the lead and walk calmly away, keeping an eye on the cattle and your footing.
If you would like more information please contact the SWT site ranger, James Herd, on 07891 850882
These videos from the USA show what can happen if Belted Galloway cattle are annoyed and handled stupidly.
Nobody was hurt but the cattle were definitely holding their own.
Perhaps it should be titled "Ballet for police cars and cattle"!
Two cows being transported to Ohio State's Veterinary Hospital escaped Wednesday afternoon and caused a chaotic two-hour round-up on the campus athletic fields next to Lincoln Tower.
OSU Police and university officials used at least seven police cars, a university tractor, a cattle prod and tranquilizers to corral the cattle.
Kaylee Smith, a fourth-year in interior design, saw cows as she left work and tried to get into her car at Lincoln Tower.
"One of the cows charged one of the female veterinary students and flipped her up in the air, but she was unharmed," Smith said.
Police and OSU officials spent more than two hours rounding up the two Belted Galloway cows.
The cows were being brought to the veterinary school to have their hooves trimmed, a regular procedure among some breeds of cows.
However, they were not used to being in trailers, the animals' owner told police.
When the owner opened the trailer to get the cows out on his own, one of the cows knocked him down. Once they had escaped the trailer, the cattle followed a route that took them southeast along John Herrick Drive and eventually onto a series of athletic fields south of Ohio Stadium.
The field "was actually a good place for them to be in because three quarters of that area is fenced in," said OSU Police Deputy Chief Richard Morman.
When police arrived at the fields shortly after 1:30 p.m., officers tried to use their cars to barricade the animals while veterinary students tried to subdue them.
But before officials could contain either cow, one escaped and retraced its path north, ending up at Vivian Hall.
Both cows were very aggressive, police said, and escaped from a makeshift barricade police assembled with their cars. The cow that stayed at the fields escaped three times, once over the hood of a police car, said Josh Cain, an OSU Facilities and Operations Development student employee.
After more than an hour, officials subdued that cow using a tranquilizer at the end of a lance.
"They pinned the cow with the police car and utility vehicles and tranquilized it," Cain, a fourth-year in logistics management, said. "After a couple minutes of the cow being tranquilized, they lassoed it and started pulling it into the trailer."
Police patrol cars followed the other cow to the parking lot behind Vivian Hall, where it became aggressive again and rammed a police car. An officer was in the car with the window down when the cow charged. He was being treated at the emergency room Wednesday evening, but police say they don't think the injury is severe.
OSU veterinary staff didn't have a long-range tranquilizer gun on hand, so they called officials at the Columbus Zoo, who sent an employee to tranquilize the second cow. Once the cow was tranquilized, police lassoed it and led it into a trailer.
Both of the cows were returned to their owner.
Source: http://www.thelantern.com/campus/who-let-the-cows-out-video-1.1376605#.UE22dbKuYpl