TERRORISM UPDATE

A quiet street in Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, was invaded by a herd of cows which trampled on gardens and peered into windows, say residents.

(Thanks to Claire Martin)

Comments

[Theresa]

It would be time to hang out the window and just say "Mooooo".

[Ralph]

Those appear to be mostly Black Angus cattle. It's probably the Scots sending out a recon patrol prior to invading Wales.

[EyeGore]

Looks like a Chick-Fil-A commercial.

[MikeyVA]

Block Party!

[Annie Where-but-here]

Time to mooooove.

[nursecindy]

That's nothing. I had a donkey from the farm across the street headbutt my front door one day. I think he's a part door to door salesman. I also frequently have to chase the guineas out of my front yard. That is a beautiful neighborhood though.

[Annie Where-but-here]

pssst, nursecindy - you should really call them "Italians."

[Afkat]

Har, Annie. You me a new keyboard over that hysterically funny comment you made at 05:14.

[NotSherly]

I believe "Guidos" and "Guidettes" are acceptable terms now.

[Wingnut]

We've woken up with cattle in the front yard(so far been ours every time) and a horse(neighbors) and the worst by far was the Holsteins we raised from bottle calves. When they would get out it was like having a 1000 pound labrador running at full speed around the yard.

[Loudmouth]

No fertilizing necessary in that neighborhood.

[Annie Where-but-here]

Same here, Wingnut. Pet Angus that were not afraid of us. Tried to herd them once with a cowpony. They just stared at me as if to say, "Yo, we're standing here. Go around!"

This photo makes me homesick.

[nursecindy]

To avoid confusion this is what I chased out of the yard.

[Annie Where-but-here]

yikes, nc - a dinosaur in a pimp suit.

[Hammond Rye]

Barbecue in Tredegar this weekend!

[Steve]

Joey and Stewie discovered the cows in the back yard, again, about an hour ago. They were as indignant as two Papillions can be, which isn't very.
Mostly, the cows jes' laugh but last week the dogs started an honest-to-god mini stampede which ran the cows almost 100 feet.
It was the high point of the dogs' day.

[hogsatemysister]

In Texas, we called that 'home delivery'.

[funny man]

British Parliament on a "field trip"?

[Steve the zamasama]

Would "finders keepers" apply?

If so, rustle one in to the local butcher and
"split" the opportunity 50/50.

[Afkat]

Great photo. reminds me of living in Banff, Alberta, except they were Elk, not cattle. Some days the garden contained as many as 12 or 14 of them.

It was particularly unsettling when one or more of them would get up on the deck and peer into the house. Frankly, I felt safer when the odd grizzly did the same.

And unlike cattle, the male elk would rush you, trying to impale you on their often large antlers.

None of us wanted to shoot them; they were, after all, spectacularly beautiful animals.

But not many of us ventured out, especially during rutting season, without a rifle or large bore pistol close at hand.

[Ralph]

Afkat: Some friends of mine used to work as rangers at Yellowstone National Park. Here's a memo from 2005:

Fall Bull Elk Rutting Season Reminder

The fall season of bull elk rutting activity is about to start. During this period, it is not uncommon for bull elk to mock fight with many types of household items found in employee’s yards. As a consequence, bull elk often get household items wrapped around their antlers. This can result in bull elk getting tied to each other, or to brush, trees, or other objects.

Over the last few years the Bear Management Office and Ungulate Office has had to capture and immobilize bull elk to remove extension cords, clothes lines, shrubbery baskets, leashes, wire, nets, cloth bags, swings, hammocks, coaxial cable, and volleyball nets (complete with poles) from their antlers. During the fall rut, Please make an effort to remove all such items from your yards when not in use.

Bull elk are also much more aggressive towards people and vehicles during the breeding season. Last fall multiple vehicles and two people were gored by bull elk. Please use caution when walking near elk and look around corners before exiting buildings or walking around blind spots.

Kerry Gunther
Bear Management Office
Yellowstone National Park

========

I don't have problems with elk, but I did have to put an electric fence on my deck to keep the bears away from the bird feeder and my kitchen windows. So far the moose don't seem interested in me or the house; they just lick the road salt off my car.

I have a small problem with field mice. I can't seem to herd them away from the house.

[wiredog]

A friend of mine moved to Anchorage after she graduated from Va Tech. One day she woke up to a booming sound and the building shaking. Earthquake? No, just a moose headbutting the apartment building.

A few months later a volcano erupted and scattered ash all over the place. She lives in Portland now.