Deadly attack

Sadness after cow attack: “Hiker was such a nice person”

The cows probably crushed the 40-year-old hiker. She died at the scene of the accident.

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

Killed by a herd of cows! Just on her birthday, a 40-year-old woman from Salzburg lost her life in the Gastein Valley. The local shock is enormous. Experts appeal: Be careful in mountain pasture areas! 

She was always friendly. Always in a good mood, popular and well-known, deeply rooted in the Gastein Valley as a bus driver. "And a really pretty one," a Pongau resident told the "Krone" newspaper. The shock and grief following the tragedy are boundless! The 40-year-old died - as reported - on Wednesday on a hike with her two daughters (20, 23). Attacked and killed by a herd of cows! 

The background to the accident is still completely unclear. The fact is that the woman was hiking in the mountains on her birthday. It was supposed to be an outing together on her happy day. Together with her two children and two dogs, she was out and about in the Schlossalm area.

Not far from the Schlossalmbahn, the unthinkable happened.

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

Just 200 meters below the famous Hamburg ski hut, the unthinkable happened. Several cows attacked the trio. "Suddenly", as the police put it. Had the hikers startled the cattle? Were the dogs behaving aggressively? Were the cows trying to protect their calves? There are no answers to any of these questions - and there won't be any answers any time soon. "We are looking for witnesses to the accident," chief inspector Hans Wolfgruber told the "Krone" newspaper.

Herd of cows belongs to Pongau ÖVP politician
The two daughters could only be questioned very briefly about the course of the accident. The siblings were injured in the cow attacks. Unlike their mother, they were able to get to safety and raise the alarm. They are still in hospital in Schwarzach.

The two dogs must have been on a lead. Wolfgruber: "We don't yet know whether they were also on a lead at the time of the attack." Hannes Reitshamer, head of operations at the mountain rescue service, says: "When we arrived at the scene of the accident, both dogs were on a lead." And: "The herd of cows was still standing around the 40-year-old."

When we arrived at the scene of the accident, both dogs were on a lead. The herd of cows was still standing around the 40-year-old woman.

Hannes Reitshamer, Bergrettung

Shortly afterwards, the Alpin Heli 6 rescue helicopter arrived and its pilot was able to chase the cattle away. The noise of the rotor blades caused the cows to flee. The emergency doctor then tried to bring the 40-year-old back to life - ultimately in vain.

Alpine pasture remains closed
There are countless mountain pastures around the scene of the accident. Just a few weeks ago, farmers were driving suckler cows and young cattle up there. Confirmed in the meantime: The herd of cows belongs to an ÖVP member of parliament. He was initially unavailable for comment. The mountain pasture remains closed to hikers for the time being.

Cows protect their calves through their maternal instinct, sometimes they see strangers as a danger.

Landwirtschaftskammer-Präsident Rupert Quehenberger

The Salzburg farming community turned to the public the day after the fatal cow attack. Rupert Quehenberger, President of the Chamber of Agriculture, expressed his condolences. He urgently appealed to all hikers: "Cows protect their calves through their maternal instinct, sometimes they see a danger in strange dogs. This makes it all the more important to observe the most important rules of conduct when encountering grazing animals for your own protection."