RUNAWAY COW IN SHOWROOM
Cars damaged in rampage
A Stirling car sales chief this week spoke of 20 seconds he will never forget after a cow ran into his showroom and damaged two vehicles.
The incident occurred about 2pm Monday when the animal escaped from Caledonian Auction Mart, Millhall Road, Stirling, and galloped into nearby Arnold Clark Mazda, Kerse Road.
Sales manager at the Arnold Clark outlet James Merrins said staff there were left shocked and frightened but more concerned about the welfare of the animal.
In a similar incident three months earlier, a post office worker was injured after cows escaped from the Mart and made their way into the Springkerse estate.
In the latest incident, the cow entered the Mazda branch through electronic double doors and caused damage to a £19,000 red Mazda MX-5 and a £13,500 black Mazda 2 before smashing a floor-to-ceiling panel window beside a set of doors.
The cow was later cornered in a compound and a farmer arrived with other cows in an attempt to calm it down so it would
leave with the rest of them.
Mr Merrins added: “When you see a bull in a field, it’s hard to appreciate just how big they are.
“But once you put them in a confined space like our branch you realise they are huge – certainly big and powerful enough to damage a couple of cars, which this one did to the tune of about £1500 with a mirror broken and window smashed.
“It was like a bull in a china shop. Our twenty staff members were shocked and a little frightened but they’re prepared for every customer service eventuality so they remained calm under pressure and luckily no one was injured.
“Mostly, we were concerned about the welfare of the animal and were delighted to hear it made it back to its field.
“The rampage was over in about 20 seconds but it’s certainly something that we’ll never forget.”
Managing director of Caledonian Marts John Kyle told the Observer: “A cow became distressed on its way into the auction ring and managed to escape by head butting a barrier. The animal caused some minor damage before being safely secured. We are liaising with our good neighbours to rectify the matter.”
Postal worker Ian Kerr, from Cambusbarron, suffered three cracked ribs on July 23 when he was butted by a 13-year-old Simmental cow which escaped with its calf on July 23 from Caledonian Marts
Mr Kerr, 57, was working at the post office depot, about a mile away, in Whitehouse Road, when the cow charged towards him. He was butted in the chest, knocked to the ground and stamped. Mr Kerr also sustained an assortment of bruises and a hoof print on his buttocks.