Mooicide

Cattle herd in cliff plunge

There was a nasty shock in store for a herdswoman on Tuesday, when she discovered the carcasses of an entire herd of 28 cattle at the foot of a cliff above Alp Sous in the municipality of Lauterbrunnen. It is thought the herd fell over the edge some time between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday morning, plunging several hundred metres. The cattle were on the alp for summer grazing and belonged to several Bernese Oberland farmers. The carcasses were retrieved by helicopter on Thursday morning and taken to Zweilütschinen, where they were examined by a veterinarian, a gamekeeper and police experts before being taken for disposal. No traces were found of a wild animal attack. The incident was an item on Swiss television’s main evening news programme. It is possible that thunderstorms occurring in the area at the time frightened the herd.