Tuesday 18 August 2009

Another cow attack ...

Continuing my occasional series, from the BBC:

A farmer who was trampled by his herd of cows after they stampeded when a fire engine siren apparently startled them has died in hospital...

10 comments:

JuliaM said...

Is this happening more frequently, or is it suddenly just more newsworthy?

Mark Wadsworth said...

It's definitely happening more frequently. It's got something to do with climate change ...

formertory said...

Avon and Somerset police said the incident was being investigated and the possibility the cows were frightened by a fire engine was one line of inquiry

Duhhh. Imagine that.

(And pedantry won't allow me to ignore that surely, it "is" one line of enquiry unless they've already decided something else was more likely. Flying saucers, anyone?)

Mark Wadsworth said...

FT, I think that in reported (rather than quoted) speech, use of the past tense is perfectly acceptable?

Witterings from Witney said...

Don't know about climate change, MW - I reckon these cow stories are a 'load of bull' anyway - which are being 'milked' for all they're worth!

formertory said...

@MW - possibly; it doesn't sound "right", though I'm hardly a grammarian.

I suppose that - given the way Plod tends to mangle the language when making statements or observations - if it's an error, it's at the minor end of the scale.

Anonymous said...

Bollocks,
It is because cows see less of people because farmers have less time to spend looking after them due to having to do more to survive . Nowadays the cows just see land rovers and tractors and are not used to humans

Mark Wadsworth said...

Anon, that maybe true, but land rovers and tractors use petrol and diesel, hence they contribute to 'climate change'.

formertory said...

The coos themselves contribute significantly, of course... all that CH4, and the slurry on the fields to make the grass grow to feed the DAMN things, and the nitrates...... we're doomed, I tell you (cont. p.94) :o)

JuliaM said...

Looks like the wasps are getting in on the fun...