Close Encounters with Livestock
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| jerque28. 06. 2024 07:55:22 |
Just read that in Austria cows killed a hiker. Actually because of dogs that disturbed them...
https://n1info.si/novice/svet/v-avstriji-creda-krav-ubila-pohodnico/
This reminded me that I've also walked several times on marked trails that officially cross pastures, last week on Ratitovec (around the hut) the pasture was even in use.
So how to behave properly in such cases to avoid conflicts, assuming no dogs are present and no intention to provoke? Then we "by common peasant sense" somehow avoided individual groups, and except for a few that stared at us, most cows didn't "grind". The article says curious calves could be dangerous because of mothers who would do anything for their safety. Nothing about bulls possibly being there due to calving (on Ratitovec some were fooling around with "mounting"). What about their general aggressiveness towards people and the myth that certain clothing colors (red) irritate them?
And finally, how safe is it if you do everything right, but just then someone provokes from the other end of the pasture?
And perhaps also, if instead of cows we run into sheep, on Danjarska planina (west of Ratitovec) we also encountered horses...
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| ppegan28. 06. 2024 09:51:44 |
I can tell from my point of view, as I walk hills/mountains with two dogs. So far no problems with livestock on pastures, we've done many. Usually cows are curious, never chased us  True, dogs show no interest in cows/horses/sheep or I taught them from puppyhood not to chase animals and livestock. At encounters always walk beside me or at heels. Anyway I don't trust cows, but know how to chase them away if needed. Tested in practice when they blocked path from Štapc to M. Tičarice, that one through bushes. They wouldn't move, people couldn't or dared not pass, retreated to bushes. I come and with loud shouting chase them to where path wider. And with tail at heels. No problem. No experience with bulls, always only cows 
Also chased sheep from mountain path, no issues there, they are timid. No ram among them. They say rams can be aggressive.
Of all you listed, imo horses most dangerous or unpredictable, especially mares protective of foals. Haven't had close encounters with horses in hills yet. Once saw them below Vajnež peak, but avoided so they didn't notice us.
In principle, if you leave livestock alone and pass calmly, no problems, with dog or without. Usually can bypass cows in arc, probably horses too. That's the tactic I use most  Unlikely they'll chase you, you're not that interesting
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| seinfeld28. 06. 2024 11:42:04 |
In Austria I already fled from a cow and jumped over the fence at the last moment. And that on a very crowded plateau by people.
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| georgia28. 06. 2024 15:15:17 |
I've already twice run from livestock on home pastures (once Soriška, second Dajnarska under Žbajnek). On Soriška pasture with colleague and two smaller dogs went calmly past cows on pasture (of course safe distance, as always), when lead cow (with bell) started following us. I let my dog go so he retreated or fled ahead (knew he wouldn't jump around cow), then cow left us alone, but kept following colleague with other dog. Very unpleasant. Only after a couple of minutes cow gave up... What she wanted, don't know.
On Dajnarska pasture last year with dog went without issues past herd of horses to Žbajnek top, but when returning from top to marked path to Ratitovec, horses moved toward us. Obviously some stallions very curious and wanted to meet dog. Let them sniff and they let us pass. Except one persistently followed us over 100 m and kept pushing into us. Feared he'd trample dog who of course panicked on leash... With sticks pushed horse aside. Very annoying. Finally gave up. Should I have let dog go then to flee ahead and leave us, don't know. When returning after a couple of hours from Ratitovec, same herd left us alone and grazed further... 
Dog never challenges livestock and doesn't bark at all. But fears sheepdogs, as he's been bitten a couple of times and we must be careful at passages through fences.
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| Trobec28. 06. 2024 19:32:09 |
A very large share of animal attacks on people is not because of the dog. Even, say, bears. Livestock sometimes instinctively "hates" the dog, as it's basically a wolf descendant. Even if the dog wants nothing... the animal has it "in its blood". Donkeys are especially known to attack the dog and even kill it. There are videos where a donkey attacks a wolf or hyena and that corpse at the end doesn't look nice...
Anyway... with a dog it's best to avoid livestock on pasture in the widest possible arc, even if the dog is ever so well-behaved and calm. Because you never know what's going through mama cow's head.
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| georgia10. 08. 2024 20:32:25 |
Such signs are on Bistrška and surrounding pastures below Ojstrnik. I think there should be such notices about rules of conduct everywhere in the mountains. So in the end I reacted correctly when I let the dog loose on Soriska planina, so it ran away, because a cow was persistently following us. Then it immediately left me alone. If possible, we avoid livestock in a wide berth ... Goats are another chapter, they are curious and mischievous, our dog's "little goat" too. And they watched each other very closely on the terrace of the hut on the pasture.
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| Enka11. 08. 2024 22:11:17 |
On one trip we walked with two border collies. We first met horses on Dolga Njiva, one of them kept pushing its muzzle into our backpacks. Inexperienced as we were, we thought it wanted food (like sheep sometimes do aggressively). But it just "pushed" us off its territory, when we crossed the invisible line, it calmly turned and returned to the herd. Later on Planina Koren we ran into a herd of cows with calves. The dogs were on leashes and calm, but it was just like in the article. Curious calves started approaching us, which agitated the cows that charged at us. Some of us luckily escaped behind the fence, some drove the cows away with waving hiking poles and "shooing". But I still feel uneasy about encounters with livestock, although since then neither cows nor horses have done more than look at me, with or without a dog.
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