Oregon cows are not all Milk and Cream
A couple of evenings ago, an Eastern Oregon rancher went out to check his beef herd. He saw a very strange sight -- and was able to photograph an unusual battle between a black bear and some brave cows.
The bear began to attack a cow and then the herd came to her aid. One cow in particular got especially aggressive and head-butted the bear right off its feet. Then, two cows sandwiched the bear between their heads. After that, the bear decided to flee and limped back into the woods.
he blonde and white Simmental cow we know as I-12 went right for him. She is a very good cow, a very attentive mother and about 12 years old. She's in her prime and knows that bears are bad news.
Little does the bear know what is coming.
She tried her best to mash him into the ground. Man, that has to have hurt the bear!
Nothing like a mad cow to give you a hard time.
There are a couple of photos where the bear is biting I-12's leg and clawing her face, but she is not giving up. Her stiff tail shows how agitated she is. Wayne said all the cows were bawling, the bear was squealing and the calves were running around with their tails in the air.
And here comes some help. This bear is about to know what real trouble is!
When you have two women pissed at you, real trouble has arrived! A younger cow, R-55, an Angus-Cross cow, age 7, is helping her out as best she can. It is an incredible photo to see two cows at once trying to crush the bear. Watch That hoof land home!
I looked up the calving records of both cows who are so aggressive in these photos and they are both good, calm cows around us, and have given us no troubles Whatsoever. I'll have to add in my notes that they have a very distinct dislike of bears. Man, that's a lot of weight bearing (pun intended), down on the bear like mashing a lump of butter!
It's a wonder the bear could even move after all the mauling he received.
We'll be watching I-12 over the next few days to see if she needs Treatment for infection. I don't know how willingly she'll come to the corrals for treatment, but she might not have a choice. And stay away you won't be so lucky next time!
Lucky to be able to move at all.
Finally, the bear decided to vacate the area. We thought he'd be dead for sure, but there was no sign of him the next day.
We'll have to keep an eye out for eagles in the trees or flocks of ravens flying up. We're sure he's got some broken ribs out of the deal at the very least. Wayne couldn't believe his eyes when he witnessed this ruckus. It's a once-in-a-lifetime photography event. Amazing.