Child hurt as wild bull attacks coastal village

This wild bull has frequently appeared in Bac Ai District, destroying crops and scaring people.

Residents of a Raglai ethnic minority village in coastal Ninh Thuan Province have reported frequent visits by a wild black bull that have left crops destroyed and one child injured.

“This bull butted a breeding ox to death and severely injured Pinang Tem [the name of the child] while he was tending oxen,” said Pinang Hoang, chairman of the People’s Committee of Phuoc Binh Commune, Bac Ai District.

Hoang said the bull had left damage in his wake at several farms in Bac Ray 2 Village and scared the local population.

“That black animal comes down from the mountain every single day. It’s huge and aggressive,” said villager Pinang Quang.

“One day, after ravaging the area, it roamed around the village then slept in a local field rather than going back to the mountain. In fear, we had to lock up our house and go down to Bac Ray 1 Village to sleep,” he said.

Deputy director of Phuoc Binh National Park Pham Ngoc Hoan said the bull became very aggressive after it split from its herd.

Meanwhile, many locals said the bull had been flirting with their cows. A cow reportedly gave birth to a calf much bigger than normal. It had a very short tail, black feet and no mane, which were specific traits of the trespassing bull, they said.

Three herds of wild cattle, 40 individuals in total, lived in the area, Binh said.

Chief of police in Phuoc Binh Commune, BoBi, said about 100 heads of wild cattle lived in the border area between Lam Dong Province’s Phuoc Binh National Park and Ninh Thuan Province’s Khanh Vinh District.

Attacks by these wild animals on humans and domesticated cattle were first reported in April 2009 and had recently become more serious, he said.

Source: VNS