Dog walker trampled to death by cows

Updated 3 hours, 11 minutes ago

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• 49-year-old woman dies after being trampled by cows while walking her two dogs
• Police believe dogs may have made cows feel their calves were threatened
• Experts say it's very unusual for people to be killed by cows
• Police advise dog walkers to let pets off leash if they feel threatened by cows

Experts say cows can become aggressive if they feel their calves are being threatened.

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A woman was trampled to death by cows while walking her dogs in northern England, police said Monday.

The 49-year-old died at the scene, said a press officer for North Yorkshire police, where the incident took place on Sunday just after noon local time (7 a.m. ET).

"She had two dogs with her," said the spokeswoman, who declined to be named in line with police policy. They were not on a leash, she added.

"We believe the cows may have gotten protective of their calves," she said.

The woman was alone when she was killed in Gayle, near Hawes in Wensleydale, she said.

Police and the National Farmers' Union both said it was very unusual for people to be killed by cows in Britain.

"There are perhaps a few incidents every year where people are injured by cattle," said Mike Thomas, a spokesman for the union. "People being killed by cattle is quite a rare occurrence."

But he said cows could become aggressive if they felt their calves were being threatened.

"If the dog is getting close to the animal, it's going to react in some kind of aggressive manner," he said.

People who feel threatened by cows while walking dogs should let their animals off the leash in order to put distance between themselves and their pets -- because cows are more likely to see dogs than people as a threat -- and move to the edge of the field, he said.

The average cow weighs about 1,760 pounds (800kg), he said.

From CNN.com; see the source article here.

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Pilot buries helicopter crash survivor in sand

Image via Wikipedia

Updated 2 hours, 27 minutes ago

By Saeed Ahmed

CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Helicopter pilot buries injured passenger in sand to save him from hypothermia
• Pilot dragged him from crocodile-infested mudflats in Australia's Northern Territory
• Helicopter crashed as they flew in low over mudflats to look for the giant reptiles
• Passenger remains hospitalized Monday in serious but stable condition

Air ambulance workers attend to a man buried in sand following a helicopter crash.

(CNN) -- A pilot dragged his passenger to safety and buried him neck-deep in sand to protect him from hypothermia Sunday night after their helicopter crashed in crocodile-infested mudflats in Australia's Northern Territory.

"The pilot thought that in this remote location, nobody would find them. So he buried his friend to try and stop the hypothermia," said Ian Badham, director of CareFlight, the air ambulance service involved in the rescue.

The two friends had gone camping on a remote beach without road access, about 130 km (80 miles) from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin.

While leaving Sunday night, the pair decided to fly their two-seater helicopter over waters that are home to large crocodiles.

"It's an area known for its big saltwater crocodiles," Badham said. "Those things make alligators look like wussies."

The pilot later told rescuers that they flew in to take a closer look. The next thing he remembered was lying upside down in the mud with the wreckage of the helicopter on top of him, Badham said.

The man remained in a serious but stable condition on Monday.

The men, both in their 50s, were about 100 meters (328 feet) from the main beach. Finding his friend seriously hurt, the pilot dragged him back to shore, away from the crocodiles -- and buried him in sand up to his neck to prevent him from freezing to death.

Rescuers responded after the pilot used a satellite phone to alert them.

The friend remained hospitalized Monday in serious but stable condition, Badham said. He suffered head and chest injuries. He also fractured his arm and several ribs.

The pilot suffered minor injuries.

"It was the opinion of the (air-ambulance) doctor that the friend's injuries were grave and, quite likely, this man would not have survived the night," Badham said.

From CNN.com; see the source article here.

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