An 81-year-old man is in hospital after being trampled by angry cows and calves while walking his dog near Greenlaw on Sunday.
Rescue services were called out at 12.15pm to the attack which took place on farmland near Marchmont House.
A local man, who did not want to be named, said: “It happened as the man walked down the avenue in front of Marchmont House with his dog amongst cows and calves.
“The caretaker there saw he was in difficulty and managed to drive in with his Land Rover and get him into the vehicle and out of the field.
“The cows were adamant they were wanting him and the dog. The dog was running about trying to get away from the cows when the caretaker was getting the man into the Landrover.”
The elderly man, believed to be from Duns, is receiving treatment for serious injuries at Borders General Hospital.
Police said yesterday: “He continues to be treated in the BGH.”
The local man said: “People don’t seem to realise the danger. Cows are big strong heavy animals and are very protective of their young, as any animal is. You want to avoid them at all costs.”
NFU Scotland’s regional manager Nina Clancy said: “This is an unfortunate accident and all within the farming community wish this walker a speedy recovery. Unfortunately, this is not the first incident of this kind. Cattle can be placid but cows protecting young calves are much less tolerant of anything in their field they might perceive as a threat. Dogs, no matter how well behaved, are a particular target in this respect.”
On Monday a man in his 60s, thought to have been walking his dog, was seriously injured after being trampled by cattle in Cambridgeshire. In April, Berwickshire farmer Kenny MacGregor of East Loanend, Horncliffe, near Berwick-upon-Tweed, was killed when a cow whose calf he was checking turned on him.