COWS KILLED BY WIRE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21972, 1 December 1934, Page 10

COWS KILLED BY WIRE

FRAGMENTS PIERCE HEARTS UNUSUAL FARM MISHAP [BY TEIjEGHAFH—OWX CORRESPONDENT"! DARGAVILLE, Friday A Kaihu farmer, Mr. W. E. Williams, recently had the misfortune to lose two of his cows, one a fine Jersey, as the result of pieces of wire swallowed by the cows coming in contact with their hearts. After the death of the first animal a stock inspector made an examination, which revealed that a piece of rusty steel wire, 2\ inches long, was touching the heart. About two weeks later Mr. Williams had another cow with similar symptoms. Like the first animal, the cow lingered for a fortnight before she died. A post-mor-tem examination disclosed a piece of rusty steel wire four inches in length penetrating the heart, which was greatly enlarged. The stock inspector stated that the loss of one animal owing to the presence of a foreign body was an uncommon occurrence, but never before had he heard of two animals on the same farm being lost within a month.

Mr. .Williams has since found in one of his paddocks oft. of old steel hauling rope, a relic of the old bullock team days. The two small pieces of wire swallowed by tl»< cows were identical with the fine wire of the hauling rope.