Austria will introduce a new code of conduct for hikers who travel through their pastures after a German tourist was trampled to death by cows
The new code, specifics which haven’t been released yet, will include information about what to do with dogs. Most incidents involving cows and humans are related to dogs. The victim of the incident, which took place in 2014, was walking her dog on a leash attached to her waist when she was killed by cows.
Last month, an Austrian court ordered the farmer who owned the cattle to pay hundreds of thousands of euros in damages to the 45-year-old victim’s family.
That caused outrage among farmers and consternation among the public, partly because the victim was walking her dog.
Cows can charge to protect their calves when they see dogs, and hikers are advised to release their dogs in such cases, which she did not do. Austria’s chancellor Sebastian Kurz said dogs have been linked to trampling incidents in the past.
“We will lay out clearly in the code of conduct what is expected of people who use mountain pastures,” Kurz told a news conference.
Kurz did not provide specifics but did suggest that dogs would be an important part of the new code, adding that problem cases have “almost exclusively” involved dogs.
The code is part of a package of measures being worked on, including changing the law.
“We expect that if people stick to this code of conduct, there will be no incidents. If someone does not stick to the code of conduct, then they will lose the chance to claim damages,” Kurz said.
The victim was rushed by about 20 cows and their calves.
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