Comments on: Cow Week: Angry cows vs. angry mothers

By: B E Pratt

B E Pratt — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 03:02:00 +0000

An uncle of mine had a smallish farm in Kansas and when visiting, one of the things to do was go pet the cows, because, well there just wasn’t a heck of a lot TO do. The calves were very skittish. And the bull, of course had his own pasture. I suppose I helped out some on the farm, but I was more of a visitor. They didn’t have a dog as I recall (odd, that, now that I think about it) and the cats were all feral. So the cows were the only animals to play with. Pretty sure, tho, that I was given instruction on ‘cow etiquette’.

By: jhoosier

jhoosier — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 00:04:00 +0000

Because pastures can be large and cows may not be in sight until you’re in the middle of one, children may not be aware of the risks, or any other number of reasons.

Overuse of warning signs may be true, but I don’t see this as being one.

By: deepthroatb

deepthroatb — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 22:47:00 +0000

Do we really need signs warning us of the dangers of EVERything nowadays?
FFs you can’t turn your head in UK without some sign or sticker telling you not to do something or to beware of some danger.
When did people stop thinking for themselves, using common sense and accepting responsibility for their own damn actions?

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:43:00 +0000

”Always check the plumbing.”

From a distance, with your eyes.

By: Roy Trumbull

Roy Trumbull — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:23:00 +0000

Having worked at radio sites in pastures I’ve had to deal with a few cows. Anything that heavy is a potential danger. They have no reverse gear. They turn left or right but won’t back up. Best weapon is a blast from an aerosol horn. As with horses, never surprise one from the rear. Talking as you approach helps. You need to keep distance from animals with young. Bulls? You’re on your own. Always check the plumbing.

By: Ipo

Ipo — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 21:26:00 +0000

One of the most dangerous things about cows is their Anti-Gay Agenda and their support of bigotry.
I researched this and found this image.

By: Ipo

Ipo — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 20:58:00 +0000

It’s gotta be the bath salt lick.

By: bkad

bkad — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 20:40:00 +0000

I grew up where people hunt, and the neighbors were surprisingly amicable about letting my father hunt on their property. Permission is king. I would second not being freaked out when encountering armed people in rural areas, though context matters a lot. Guy walking down the side of a road carrying a shot gun while wearing cammo pants and bright orange sweatshirt, not so scary. Guy walking down the side of a road carrying a shotgun and wearing ‘tactical’ clothes, a little more dodgy. Guy walking down a street carrying a shotgun and wearing a full business suit, creepy as heck run away run away.

By: Nathan Hornby

Nathan Hornby — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 18:54:00 +0000

That’s actually a really good example.

By: vonbobo

vonbobo — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 18:34:00 +0000

It’s similar to when I take my city friends out camping. They feel much more comfortable walking home at 2am in the crazy city, compared to spending a peaceful night in a tent in the middle of nowhere.

Or, why am I afraid of a ghost being in the basement, when I know ghosts don’t exist?

By: RadioSilence

RadioSilence — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 18:27:00 +0000

That’s a good idea. I wonder what they taste like? Probably like chicken.

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:53:00 +0000

I think it is time we stood up against these bovine bastards.

Periodically bashing one on the head and eating it might be what it takes to send a message that this butting and trampling won’t be tolerated.

By: pecoto

pecoto — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:40:00 +0000

My family owns a large parcel of land in a very out of the way area in California where I lived most of my life, and overall I think you are correct. Most folks don’t mind you hiking around as long as you are sticking to established trails and roads, not littering, not making a nuisance of yourself, etc. Beware though, it is all too easy to stumble on a pot grow (not too bad if the growers are hippies, Lethal if the growers are cartel) or a meth lab (VERY BAD). Also, don’t be too freaked out if the landowner approaches you with a weapon in hand (or on belt), we have a very active Bear and Mountain Lion population….and have had some bad experiences with people scouting our property for illicit activities, or just to tear the hell out of it with their off-road vehicles (last year some idiots caused thousands of dollars of damage with their quads, and it will take years for the local flora and fauna to recover in the area they trashed). Personally, I have had a shotgun shoved into my face after knocking on a door so I could use a phone to get assistance after a break down. Be cautious! Also, if you find an area you would like to hike in, the best idea would be to find the owners and ask permission….it will be appreciated and you might just make a new friend, or avoid some real trouble.

By: Matthew Petty

Matthew Petty — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:27:00 +0000

They could drown you too:
http://www.collegehumor.com/picture/42367
(Perry Bible Fellowship cartoon, strangely no longer available on http://pbfcomics.com/ )

By: bkad

bkad — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Exactly, as a US citizen..

Despite hiking through some pretty rural areas, and contrary to thousands of US TV shows and movies, I’ve never been physically threatened by a human, though I have been asked to leave by landowners when I’ve inadvertently trespassed. I suspect landowner-gun-trespasser confrontations are rare events which are magnified both by gun rights activists (trying to highlight the trespasser threat) and by gun control activist (trying to highlight the armed landowner threat). But… my experience is limited to the rural areas of one or two states which are not known for having a culture of property defense, and I look physically similar to the majority group in those areas. I can’t trust my experience applies in all states.

By: Maggie Koerth-Baker

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Nathan, this is not really about the cows. It’s about how we consider risk analysis. The thing people should be coming away with is that sharks are not out to get them, there’s not a high risk of being killed by a shark just because you’re swimming in the ocean, and that we (as humans) don’t really do a great job of assessing risk, in general.

This series should not be read as anti-cow.

By: Nathan Hornby

Nathan Hornby — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Bad wording, as danger implies risk. Now I’m just confusing myself.

By: Nathan Hornby

Nathan Hornby — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000

But sharks are more dangerous than cows. We’re just at far greater risk of being injured by a cow due to our increased exposure to them.

Is this a concept people don’t get?

By: chaopoiesis

chaopoiesis — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:54:00 +0000

For the record: I have firsthand experience of being charged by a San Diego cow. I pedaled like hell and got out of there.

By: Maggie Koerth-Baker

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:45:00 +0000

Nathan, the point is not that cows are horribly dangerous. The point is that sharks aren’t horribly dangerous. And that we tend to not judge risk accurately.

By: Quiche de Resistance

Quiche de Resistance — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:42:00 +0000

“Cow Week … is inspired by the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week”
Boing Boing hopes zat more people will understand ze complexity of zese majestic crea-chairs and ze vital role zey play in ze fragile ecoseestems of our oceans and our planet.

By: vonbobo

vonbobo — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:14:00 +0000

That’s similar to the odd’s of being struck by lightning, which are relatively low. But of course, there are very few people that are actually standing around exposed during a lightning storm. The ratio of exposed people getting struck by lightning is obviously much larger than comparing the general public to lightning victims.

By: Boris Bartlog

Boris Bartlog — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Funny. Obviously they have some jaw strength but I’ve never heard of one employing a bite as a deliberate attack. I could imagine a curious cow trying to sample someone’s hair but a face bite seems really unusual.

By: vonbobo

vonbobo — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:09:00 +0000

There is a comedian (don’t know his name) that talks about milking a cow when he was young, and ended up being bitten in the face by said cow.

By: IronEdithKidd

IronEdithKidd — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:03:00 +0000

*facepalm*

I’m simply dumbfounded by the burning ignorance.

By: Boris Bartlog

Boris Bartlog — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:59:00 +0000

Cows without horns will still instinctively do a goring kind of motion, which when horns are absent means they clobber you with their head. That’s assuming you are in front of them. They can also kick but as far as I can tell that’s mostly a rear-leg attack for dealing with things low and towards their rear, so not something you’re likely to be subjected to by a cow actively attacking you. More like something that might happen if you’re trying to milk an uncooperative cow. They can’t rear up and kick with their front legs.
And yes of course they can trample you too once you’re down.
In the end however I believe most deaths result from being crushed between cow and immovable barrier. That can happen quite by accident without any malice on the part of the cattle whatsoever.

By: Nathan Hornby

Nathan Hornby — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:50:00 +0000

To be fair, 99.99% of the time they are.

I’m still waiting on confirmation from Maggie over whether or not I understand these articles correctly or not; but from what I gather Sharks aren’t dangerous, but cows are. Because we spend enough time around cows for bad shit to happen, and hardly any time around sharks – or something like that; I’m not sure.

I think it’s all a conspiracy personally. Maybe a cow owes Maggie some money.

By: elchip

elchip — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:47:00 +0000

Yes, and now there’s a “Right to Roam” in Britain, which has opened up even more space to walking than the old rights of way. All in all a good thing, methinks, though not without its risks. (Not unlike swimming in the ocean.)

By: absimiliard

absimiliard — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:41:00 +0000

Okay, I shan’t.

“Moo Fu!”

-abs’s tongue is quite firmly in his cheek this morning, blame the coffee

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:40:00 +0000

Shut up! Cows ARE always docile, friendly, and adorable. They are! *bursts into tears*