In an unfortunate incident in UK, a herd of cows trampled a man who was out walking his dog. Dave Clark, the deputy headteacher at Richmond school, succumbed to his injuries in a field north of Richmond, North Yorkshire on Monday evening.
Paramedics were rushed to the spot of the incident, but couldn't save Clark. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the exact cause of the death. This is at least a second reported incident where a person has been trampled by a herd of cows. In June, an 82-year-old man was killed by cows near Ingleton in the Yorkshire dales.
Clark was dear and loved by his family and peers. He was the "heart and soul" of Richmond School, said head teacher Jenna Potter, according to BBC.
"He was an enormous character, a brilliant school leader and simply a lovely man who enriched the life of everyone he came into contact with, just by being himself and doing what he did every day," Potter said.
Clark had been a part of the faculty since 1997. He was also an avid cyclist and sportsman.
Cows killing humans
While many might think cows pose no danger to humans, HSE has found that 98 people have been killed by cattle between March 2000-2020. Several of these deaths have taken place as people were walking on footpaths and in many cases the victims were accompanied by dogs. It has also been observed that cows have attacked often in presence of calves, as an instinct to protect the younger cattle.
Important things to remember
As cases of public endangerment by cattle increases, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) has some important tips to protect oneself in an event when they feel under attack by cows.
- Do not run, move away slowly
- Avoid getting between cows and calves
- Let the dogs go, cattle will mostly chase after them and dogs will outrun cows
- Keep livestock away from public right of way
