A young Scots farmer and entrepreneur is lucky to be alive after being attacked and gored by his herd of 300 water buffalo.
Steven Mitchell (30), who runs The Buffalo Farm at Auchtertool, near Kirkcaldy, was severely injured after the herd turned on him during a photo shoot.
The animals dragged him 50 metres across a field and through a pond, leaving him bloodied and bruised and with severe puncture wounds to his lower body.
Speaking to The Courier on Friday night from his bed in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, and still in a lot of pain after surgery, Steven said he felt ”lucky to be alive” and wanted to thank two Fife Council staff, including the photographer, whose quick-thinking saved his life.
Steven said: ”I was doing a favour for the lady with the Fife Council Art Gallery. They were launching a picture competition and they asked me to hold a picture with the buffalo herd as a backdrop.
”I was about five metres from the herd and all was going very well. It was a good opportunity to get a picture.
”I knelt down in front of the herd and all was fine. But then one jumped out and attacked me.
”It was a mother and let out a war cry because I think it thought I was a threat to the calves in the field, and then the whole herd attacked me.”
Steven says he owes his life to the council staff and photographer, who ran back to his pickup and used it to eventually disperse the herd.
He was then rushed to hospital where he had surgery for his wounds.To read more on the attack, see Saturday’s Courier