A walker and a family member were chased by two cows while hiking East Bay trails, fleeing to a ditch and hiding behind trees until the cows moved off. Signs on park gates advise keeping distance, particularly from cows with calves, because cows can charge. The East Bay Regional Park District issued an advisory for calving season and recommends admiring livestock from a distance. Grazing has been used as an ecofriendly land-management tool for over 60 years, with more than 86,800 acres grazed annually to control grasses, support native species, and mitigate wildfire fuels. Cows are generally docile but can be territorial and protective of young.
We heard the commotion before we saw it: The sounds of hooves gaining speed on the slick grassy slopes. We looked up to find two large black cows heading straight for us. We booked it toward a ditch where two small trees gave promise of some type of cover. The cows chased us until we were in a standoff; us, crouched behind the trees, and the huffing cows, glaring at us through big, brown eyes.
Let this story affirm the warning of all those signs: Cows in the East Bay will charge you. The East Bay Regional Park District backs me up on this: On Aug. 15, EBRPD put out an advisory warning parkgoers that it was calving season, encouraging people to admire from a distance. The park district has been using grazing as an ecofriendly land-management tool for over 60 years. According to the district, over 86,800 acres of parkland are grazed annually by cattle, sheep, or goats.
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