Feral
cows, apparently upset at all the fun their drunken, cavorting hog brethren are
having (see earlier coverage here) (and here), are getting in the mix. Herds of feral cows, with as many as 20 sows
to a single bull, guarding their harem, are overrunning fences and roaming the
14,000 acre Chino Hills State Park in California. They are reportedly “scaring hikers, mountain
bikers and trampling sensitive riparian habitat.”
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| Feral Cows in California - Not Taking Crap Anymore |
The
San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that: State
rangers have hired cowboys to lasso the cows with limited success. Dozens
remain hidden in the park’s corners, leaving open the possibility the next
encounter between the wild bovines and a hiker could result in an injury or
death. And that is apparently
without the possibility that some hiker leaves out a case of Natty Light.
One death from the feral cows has
already been reported: In November, one
old-time cattle rancher, Bill Friend, 82, died trying to intervene between a
bull and his harem, said Claire Schlotterbeck, co-founder of Hills For
Everyone, the group that formed the park nearly 30 years ago.
“I
think it was two bulls fighting over a female and he got kicked. He was in his
80s. He eventually died from this injury from the cow,” Schlotterbeck said.
Only
in California would an 80 year-old man try to get between two bulls fighting
over a female. The bulls probably
thought he was trying to horn his way in for her.
Another encounter with an
ill-informed Californian was reported: Ed Loritz, a salesman with a local packing
materials company, likes to hike the trails of Chino Hills State Park. In
February, he was heading down Rimcrest Trail where it meets Telegraph when he
saw a bull.
“This
cow had this look in his eye like he was going to kill me. He weighs 2,000
pounds. I wasn’t about to mess with him,” Loritz said.
Loritz,
a regular visitor to the park, said he’s seen feral cows for the past two or
three years. “I thought I’ll throw a rock and he’ll back off. But he came two
feet closer. I started walking toward him and as soon as I did he was now
running toward me,” Loritz described. “I should have brought my 9mm with me.”
Apparently Ed doesn’t realize that
a 9mm round would only piss off a 2000-pound bull.
This seems to be only a problem that
California has. Unlike hogs, which are
crafty, nocturnal, smaller and breed six times a year, cows are huge, slow,
loud and don’t breed nearly as often. In
Texas or Colorado, if free reign were given to get the cows, the cows would be
feral for about a week, then on a ranch.
The only thing saving cows from extinction is that they are tasty, have
great leather for shoes, and are manageable livestock. Only in California.
Full article and picture credit: http://www.sgvtribune.com/environment-and-nature/20131022/cows-gone-wild-feral-cattle-scaring-hikers-in-chino-hills-state-park
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