Age-old dance of hunter and the hunted

THE other day I went for a walk with my son Sam and our dog. It ended up with a bit of an incident. We were crossing a field full of cattle when suddenly the cattle attacked and the dog decided to defend.

Age-old dance of hunter and the hunted

They darted forward in an offensive phalanx and the dog protected us with much barking and aggressive behaviour. It wouldn’t have been very significant apart from the fact that I noticed that the herd of cattle included a bull. I don’t believe in messing with bulls. They kill a surprising number of people every year. Sam and I retreated but we had considerable difficulty in persuading the dog to join in our strategic withdrawal.

Sam was cross with the dog for being disobedient. So was I, but I was also fascinated by what was going on because the patterns of behaviour in the field had a very ancient ancestry.

Already a subscriber? Sign in

You have reached your article limit.

Unlimited access. Half the price.

Annual €120 €60

Best value

Monthly €10€5 / month

More in this section

Revoiced

Newsletter

Sign up to the best reads of the week from irishexaminer.com selected just for you.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited