Mum 'impaled' by Highland cow after it charged at her in field

Lanette Wiltshire, 50, was thrown "two feet" into the air and left with serious bruising from the attack which happened at Cobham Wood, near Rochester, last Sunday.

A mum was "impaled" by a Highland cow after it came up to her in a field and she "knew it was going to end horribly".

Lanette Wiltshire, 50, was thrown "two feet" into the air and left with serious bruising from the attack which happened at Cobham Wood, near Rochester, last Sunday.

She was with her family when she saw a herd of six Highland cows and said that one started to move towards her. The mum of four from Greenhithe said she instinctively didn't want to go near them, but her sister said they were "friendly".

“They were huge, and their horns were at least a metre long on each side," said Lanette. “I did not want to walk past these cows, but my sister advised me they are friendly as they would not be able to roam free with the public around if they were dangerous.

"I was not convinced and said we should go back the other way. I wish I had taken my own advice. This cow just started walking closer and closer to me. I was scared that if I ran it would charge, so I stayed calm and stood my ground.

"As it moved closer, I knew it was going to end horribly, it came up to me, bent down its head and flung me about two foot in the air. It made a hole in my trousers and my underwear. I was impaled on its horn. Because we were all in shock, the only thing we could do is laugh. The power of this thing was unbelievable. I think it is a miracle that I got up and walked away with just those bruises.”

Lanette says she still can’t stop thinking about the attack, having nightmares that the cow will attack her again, and photos show the huge bruises across her side and thighs where she said the horn had made contact.

The family have no idea why Mrs Wiltshire was targeted by the cow - but she suspects it might have been her red lipstick. Reflecting on the incident, her biggest fear is what could have happened if her mum - who lives with Alzheimer’s - had been the one attacked.

Mrs Wiltshire added: “It was horrific. That horn could have gone through my leg. I was really worried about my mum, because if it had happened to her, it would have killed her.

“There was a mum with her two young children there, thankfully they did not see what had happened as they went another way, but what if it had been a child?” Now, Mrs Wiltshire is trying to encourage the National Trust to put a fence in place to separate the cows from passers-by so they can’t hurt anyone else.

She said the “magnificent creatures” were roaming free, and that there were no signs in the space warning about their presence. Mrs Wiltshire said: “We have never been there before and had no idea that Highland cows are allowed to roam free around the woods and did not see any warning signs until we walked out of the woods where there was a tiny sign advising about the cows.

“If I had known the cows were there I would not have walked through. It is not the cow’s fault - [it] was just defending [it's] territory. You wouldn’t have thought that these animals would be allowed to be in a public place if they are going to be like that. I don’t want the same thing to happen to someone else, they should be behind a fence.”

A National Trust spokesperson said: “We were extremely concerned to hear that an individual was involved in an incident concerning cattle grazed on our land, reported to us on October 15. We have been in touch with the individual concerned, and our ranger team are assessing the site with our grazier and expert advisors including the existing signage in place to alert visitors to the presence of cattle.

"We have a good working relationship with our grazier and we continue to work together to ensure that site safety is monitored. We would like to reassure all visitors that we regularly review grazing arrangements and their impact on visitor safety. If anyone would like to discuss any concerns, we are happy for people to get in touch with us directly."