Hiker, 85, Killed by Herd of Cows

An 85-year-old man lost his life after a herd of cows charged him and his wife during a hike in the Austrian Alps, police said Monday. The retired couple from Vienna were walking their dog near a mountain hut in Styria province when nine cows, including three calves, suddenly stampeded, CBS News reports. Both hikers suffered severe injuries, a police spokesman tells AFP. Witnesses and staff at the mountain refuge hut rushed to help and called in emergency responders. The man and his 82-year-old wife were airlifted to a hospital in Salzburg but the man died before surgery could be performed.

Authorities have launched an investigation. Witnesses say the cows were apparently disturbed by the couple's dog, a mixed breed that was slightly injured, Tiroler Tageszeitung reports. Fatal encounters with cows are rare in Austria, where cattle typically graze unfenced in popular hiking regions. But a woman was fatally trampled by cows last year while hiking with her two small dogs in Salzburg. In response to a fatal cow attack a decade ago, Austria introduced safety guidelines for mountain walkers, urging people to keep a safe distance from cattle and to keep dogs on a short leash—though hikers are advised to unleash their dogs if cows attack.