Woman Attacked by a Furious Highland Cow, Suffers Collapsed Lung and Broken Ribs

PAISLEY, Scotland — A woman walking her dog in a popular park in Scotland was severely injured after being attacked by a Highland cow on Tuesday, leaving her with a collapsed lung and multiple rib fractures.

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Monika Bresler, 45, an IT manager from Barrhead, was walking her dog Roxy near Gleniffer Braes Country Park in Paisley on Tuesday afternoon, April 16, when a cow with a newborn calf charged at them. While her dog managed to escape, Ms. Bresler hid in nearby bushes, but the cow found her and knocked her to the ground.

“It then attempted to lay on me, repeatedly, trying to crush me into the ground,” Ms. Bresler said. “The cow then managed to stamp on my chest with one of its hoofs and I could hear my ribs cracking. It was absolutely awful.” she said to Glasgow Live.

“I was very scared and thought it would kill me.”

Monika Bresler

During the attack, which occurred on a public path near Brownside Farm car park, Ms. Bresler said she heard her ribs cracking and thought the cow was going to kill her. “I was very scared,” she said.

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Passersby came to Ms. Bresler’s aid, and she was rushed to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where she was treated for a collapsed lung and fractured ribs.

“I knew I couldn’t breathe and something was really wrong, I was in a lot of pain. I was still very much under shock.”

Ms. Bresler was discharged on Saturday after spending four days in the hospital, but she will require six weeks to recover and has been forced to take time off from her job.

“I am very lucky to be alive at all,” she wrote.

She said that the attack occurred on a popular path used by families and dog walkers, and that action needs to be taken to prevent similar incidents.

“It’s beyond my understanding how animals, which clearly become extremely dangerous in their calving season, can be kept moving freely in a country park, so popular with families and dog walkers alike,” she wrote. “Hopefully this is to change.”

Highland cows, an iconic Scottish breed known for their long horns and shaggy coats, are typically docile, but can become aggressive when protecting their young. Park authorities have not yet commented on whether any measures will be taken to prevent future attacks.

UPDATE:

In an update to her post, Ms. Bresler clarified that she was not walking near any farmland or fields when the attack occurred. “I was on a country park path surrounded by gorse from both sides,” she wrote. “Cows emerged from the gorse and went into the attack immediately- I didn’t see them till it was too late, couldn’t avoid them and/or take an alternative route.”

She also noted that her dog did not disturb the cows in any way to cause the reaction, and that aggressive animals in publicly accessible country parks should be fenced off or the area made inaccessible to the public during calving season.

 

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