Put the Selfie Stick Down - The Peak District Has a Highland Cattle Problem |
TikTok videos of visitors hugging and approaching Highland cattle in the Peak District have prompted a formal safety warning. The animals are far more dangerous than they look. |
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They are undeniably photogenic, with their long, flowing fringes and gentle-looking eyes, Highland cattle have become one of the Peak District's most Instagrammable residents. But the Peak District National Park Authority has issued a formal warning after a wave of TikTok videos showed visitors getting dangerously close to the animals, hugging them, and in some cases entering enclosures where cows were calving.
The warning is clear: approaching Highland cattle is highly dangerous, particularly when cows have calves nearby. Despite their docile appearance, Highland cattle are large, powerful animals that can charge or trample without warning if they feel threatened. A cow protecting a newborn calf is especially unpredictable.
The problem has been building for some time. Videos of people cuddling the Highland cows at Baslow and other Peak District locations have circulated widely on social media, attracting thousands of views and, inevitably, imitators. One farmer has reportedly taken the extraordinary step of planning to crossbreed his herd to make the cattle "less photogenic", in the hope of deterring influencers from approaching them.
The Peak District National Park Authority's advice is straightforward: keep your distance, stay on public footpaths, never enter a field with cattle without a legitimate reason, and under no circumstances feed or touch them. If you encounter cattle on a footpath, walk calmly around them, keeping as much distance as possible.
The Peak District's Highland cattle are a genuine and wonderful part of the landscape, but they are working farm animals, not props for social media content. Admire them from a safe distance, and everyone, including the cattle, will be happier for it.
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