A 67-year-old hiker has died after being attacked by a herd of cows in Austria, authorities said, in the latest incident involving livestock in the Alps.
The woman was attacked by what police described as a “mid-double-digit number” of cows in a pasture in the Alpine district of Lienz in East Tyrol on Sunday afternoon. Her 65-year-old husband was also seriously injured.
Authorities said the reasons for the animals’ aggressive behavior are still unclear. The couple was not accompanied by the dog at the time, police said.
Sometimes cows react to the dog’s approach – especially when they want to protect their calf – by attacking the animal. In view of such events, the authorities and farmers regularly advise caution when hiking in the Alpine regions.
In September 2025, an 85-year-old man died following a cow attack while walking with his wife and dog when he was attacked by a herd of cows in the Ramsau am Dachstein region of the Austrian Alps.
