17 September 2023 , 21:30
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A man was airlifted to hospital after he and two women were attacked by a herd of cows at a remote beauty spot in the UK.
The 56-year-old man and two women were trampled by a herd of cows on Traigh Eais beach on Barra, in Scotland. The alarm was raised at around 8pm on Saturday when Police, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and Barra Coastguard Rescue Team sped to their aid.
A spokesman for Stornoway Coastguard said: “A man and two women were said to be trapped by cows and the man had sustained a blow to the chest and was also in shock.” The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that a local crew attended to provide light. The man was flown to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and the two women were taken to St Brendan’s Hospital in Castlebay for treatment.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Around 8.05pm on Saturday, 16 September 2023, police and emergency services were called to Eoligarry, Barra, following a report that three people, a man and two women, had been injured by a heard of cows and a bull whilst walking between near Traigh Eais and Traigh Mor.”
“A 56-year-old man was flown by air ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (Glasgow) but has since been discharged. The two women were treated at St Brendan’s Hospital in Castlebay and have also been discharged. Advice and assistance has been given to all parties. No further police action”
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Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil, who lives on Barra, added: “This is obviously a very distressing incident we wish all involved a speedy recovery.”
This news comes after it was revealed that cows are the UK’s deadliest animal, with cows attacking between three and four thousand people every year. An expert revealed this figure may continue to rise.
Between 2018 and 2022, more than 30 people were killed by cows, according to the UK Government’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The news comes after a woman died after being trampled by a herd of cows in Wales on September 1. Previously experts have called for new laws to protect the public from “killer cows”, claiming an increase in aggressive behaviour by cattle.
David Clarke of Cattle on Walkers Safety (COWS) told the Daily Star: "Death figures vary year to year and there are often spikes, a few years back there were three deaths in a short space of months. Also, deaths can be distinguished between farmers and members of the public, usually about three times more farmers are killed than the public.
"Long-term fatalities are about five a year. On a low number, any increase is significant. But there does seem a trend upward. Also, remember deaths are just the extreme result of lots of attacks/incidents. I suspect three to four thousand a year but nobody knows, with consequences ranging from lucky escape, trauma, minor injuries and progressively more serious injuries to deaths.”