Woman in her 30s is airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a COW from herd that is allowed to roam freely around Welsh village
A woman in her 30s was airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a cow from a herd that is allowed to roam freely around a Welsh village.
Police and other emergency services rushed to Southgate in south Gower at around 3pm on Tuesday, WalesOnline reported.
The village has had problems in the past with cattle roaming free, and there have been concerns about the safety of people living in and visiting the community.
South Wales Police read: 'At around 3pm yesterday, emergency services were called to a farm in Southgate, Swansea, where a woman, reportedly in her 30s, had been struck by a cow. She was airlifted to University Hospital of Wales where she is being treated for her injuries.'
It is not known what happened to the cow, though there are some unconfirmed reports that it was shot.
A woman in her 30s was airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a cow from a herd that is allowed to roam freely around a Welsh village (stock image of a cow in Southgate)
Police and other emergency services rushed to Southgate in south Gower at around 3pm on Tuesday, WalesOnline reported (stock image)
Delivery driver, Neil Thomas, helped ferry medical staff to the scene of the incident.
He said: 'I was passing East Cliff where the helicopter was landing, noticed it was quite a bit of distance from the incident, so myself and wife stopped at the helicopter and loaded our car up with the paramedics and their equipment and gave them a lift to the scene.
'There was an ambulance parked on West Cliff outside the nursing home there were people everywhere. I overheard the paramedics stating armed police were en route to deal with the cow.'
Cattle have been free to roam around Southgate in Pennard for decades, including peoples' gardens, main roads and beaches.
The Gower commons are traditionally grazed by local commoners' animals. It is legal in the area and considered to be an essential part of the farm economy of the Gower Peninsula area, as well as being helpful to maintain natural habitats.
The village has had problems in the past with cattle roaming free, and there have been concerns about the safety of people living in and visiting the community
But in May last year, residents in the Southgate area said the cows had become increasingly aggressive and were a 'public safety' risk.
During the Covid lockdown, around a dozen cows were caught on camera stampeding through the village. One even had a plastic chair around its neck.
A resident also described on social media how she feared for her life after she was chased by cows while walking her dogs last year.
Pennard Community Council warns on its website that people in the area should 'be aware' of grazing farm animals on the commons and should follow these precautions: