Two horrified onlookers who witnessed cattle attacking and trampling a man in a South Auckland park have told of hearing blood curdling screams and seeing him go down under the cows' hooves.
The man was trying to rescue a woman who was being menaced by the animals while she was jogging in Totara Park on Sunday afternoon.
But he ended up himself a victim of an attack that put him in hospital after normally placid beasts went fully feral.
Caron Lynn and Mike Small witnessed the attack.
Ms Lynn told Seven Sharp she heard "not a 'I've just stepped in cow poo' scream. It was blood curdling. Somebody was really scared."
Mr Small said on hearing the scream, "we both stopped our bikes and looked".
The pair stopped their bikes and saw a herd menacing a woman.
"It was terrifying. We thought she had a dog because of the way she had her hands up to protect herself, and the way that the cows were focussed on her and milling around her," Ms Lynn said.
As they watched anxiously, a man came to the woman's aid.
"He was wearing a bright orange shirt. And he stood between this woman and the cows," Mr Small said.
“All I could see was him going down under these hooves
To their horror, the man was knocked down.
"The cows just hit him midships. He disappeared...into a mob of cows," Mr Small said.
Ms Lynn said she couldn't sleep last night "because every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was him going down under these hooves. And I didn't think I was going to see him get up. It was terrifying".
The farmer who runs the cows in the park didn't want to appear on camera, but confirmed that two cows had been sent to the freezing works this morning.
Auckland Council which operates Totara Park urged caution during calving season.
"We recommend anyone that chooses to go in parts of our parks with cows is extra careful during calving season, as it is a cow's natural instinct to protect their calves," said Mike Bowater, Auckland Council's Head of Parks Services.
But there's some confusion about the aggressor.
"It wasn't a calf. It was a yearling male animal, three quarters fully grown," Mr Small said.
The victim, an RSA veteran, is now recovering in Middlemore Hospital with leg and shoulder injuries.
"He's a hero. He saved her. He absolutely saved her. He took a pummeling himself, but he saved her," Ms Lynn said.
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