Video shows the moment when Tory MP and ex-soldier Tom Tugendhat was ‘followed’ by a herd of cows as he walks through a field.
Tugendhat, 49, posted a short clip of the encounter on Twitter on Sunday, saying in his feed: “I’m being followed.”
Surrounded by a herd of cows walking towards him, the new Secretary of State for Security accused the cattle of ‘winging out’ him. He joked that the encounter was an example of crowd control.
The video comes as cattle encounters are seemingly gaining popularity in the UK. Social media users have started sharing stories of cattle and brush death attacks in harrowing detail.
Last month a campaign was launched to lobby for new laws to protect hikers from ‘killer cows’ in rural areas.
The campaign demands insurance for all farmers who keep livestock, livestock to be separated from hikers on National Trails, and a national database of cow attacks.
Video shows Tory MP and ex-soldier Tom Tugendhat being ‘followed’ by a herd of cows as he walks through a field
Mr Tugendhat shared the seemingly playful video of his walk through the field on Sunday.
It’s unclear where specifically the Conservative MP, whose constituency also includes Tonbridge and Malling, took his walk on the rather sunny day.
“I don’t know about you, but I think I might be followed,” he said in the 24-second clip.
As he walked through the field, the herd seemed to follow the herd behind him.
“This is getting a little friendlier,” added Mr Tugenhadt.
‘Be outflanked! Here we go. Here’s crowd control.’
The Tory MP was surrounded by a herd of cows walking in his direction. He accused the cattle of ‘surrounding’ him and joked that the encounter was an example of ‘crowd control’
As he walked through the field, the herd seemed to follow the herd behind him. He said: ‘This is getting a little kinder’
The MP’s video comes just a month after the website ‘Killer Cows’ called for new laws on livestock in the UK prompted by a series of animal attacks.
‘Killer Cows’ was set up by a group of walkers who had experienced ‘aggressive behavior from cattle’.
The campaign is lobbying for legislation, including mandatory third-party liability insurance for all farmers who keep livestock, livestock to be separated from hikers on National Trails, and a national database of cow attacks.
In addition to campaigning, the site is dedicated to sharing stories of hikers being attacked by cattle near farmers’ fields, with headlines like “Julia: Scared for Her Life” and “Martin and Margaret: Trampled by Cows.” ‘.
One story describes how a woman named Julia was attacked by a herd while on holiday near Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland.
While walking on the rocky shore with her partner and dog, she decided to walk the trail near livestock because she “believed that cows pose no danger to people without dogs.”
The MP’s video comes just a month after the ‘Killer Cows’ website called for new livestock laws in the UK, following a series of animal attacks
Sharon Eley has said she is ‘very lucky to be alive’ after the ordeal that involved around 20 cows when they attacked while walking through the Lancashire countryside
She wrote: ‘The cows seemed to feel threatened by me and started to circle around me. Seeing this, and probably feeling aggression from the cows, my faithful dog escaped from his harness and ran towards me, then started growling at the cows…
“Unfortunately, my partner and I had the impression that the cows would only be aggressive towards my dog, not me.”
After her partner got the dog back into the harness, Julia described being stalked by a lone cow as she tried to run away.
She wrote: ‘It was only five feet away… It jumped up and down and snorted and looked like it could attack at any moment. I was absolutely terrified.
‘I felt the cow, right there, heard him panting, saw him snort at me, saw the ground move beneath him as he jumped up and down.
“My partner, safely through the gate, and sensing I was about to be attacked, yelled to run. I was now only ten feet from the gate—so I ran.
“Luckily I reached the gate and managed to escape my brush with intense injury or death.”
Another woman, Sharon Eley, said she was “lucky to be alive” after being strangled and repeatedly headbutted by a herd of raging cows in Lancashire.
Ms Eley, 51, was surrounded by 20 cows last May when she walked her five-year-old Lhasa Apso named Ralphie.
The herd was led by an excited “leader” who threw her to the ground twice before repeatedly headbutting her, leaving behind 15 broken ribs, a punctured lung, a dislocated and shattered ankle and a broken collarbone.
The 51-year-old was also nearly shrunken when the strap of her bag was wrapped around her throat during the attack, leaving her with a ligature mark and severe bruising.
It wasn’t until other hikers entered the field and managed to distract the cows that the glamping entrepreneur was able to escape. The other hikers escaped unscathed.
Mrs. Eley managed to drag herself to her feet for a showdown between her and a remaining cow, which eventually deteriorated.
She was then able to crawl to the edge of the field and pull herself over a dry stone wall.
Livestock farmers are currently liable for property damage caused by stray livestock.
Harm caused to people often depends on individual circumstances and is individually assessed by the courts, although farmers are expected to carry out risk assessments and put up appropriate signage.
A farmer who has failed to take reasonable safety precautions may also be liable for prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive.