US EditionHiker dies after cow herd tramples couple walking dog in Austrian Alps: Reports
The 85-year-old man died after being trampled by a startled herd of nine cows including three calves; his 82-year-old wife was injured and is in stable condition, officials said.
- On Sunday, a retired couple from Vienna were trampled by cows while hiking with their dog toward a mountain hut in Ramsau am Dachstein, with the man dying shortly after airlift to Salzburg hospital.
- Experts note that cows can perceive dogs as a threat, and Austria's 2019 code of conduct advises hikers to keep distance from cows and walk dogs on a short lead.
- Witnesses said a herd of nine cows, including three calves, charged and severely injured the couple near the so-called Austria hut, while hikers and refuge hut staff administered first aid and stabilized the injured woman.
- Local prosecutors are investigating the circumstances, and the man's cause of death is pending an autopsy by the State Police Directorate; fatal cow attacks remain rare in Austria's nation of more than nine million people.
- Past fatal encounters with herds prompted Austria's 2019 code of conduct, which sets safety guidelines after an earlier deadly cow attack; the 2024 victim, a hiker with two small dogs, was killed despite these rules.
25 Articles
25 Articles
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when the man and his wife were walking towards a mountain hut in the village of Ramsau am Dachstein in Styria, Austria.
A couple of Viennese hikers were attacked by herds of cows in the Austrian Alps. The 85-year-old man died while his wife was injured.
A Viennese couple wants to go hiking with their dog in Styria. Near a mountain hut they meet a herd of cows. As there are young animals among them, it is unfortunate. The animals attack the two hikers. For the 85-year-old every help comes too late.
Because a cow herd with calves apparently felt threatened by a couple's dog, she ran towards two hikers and trampled them down. For the man the collision ended fatally, his wife was seriously injured.
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