Andrew O’Connor, an avid cyclist, recently experienced an extraordinary moment during one of his bike rides that left him astounded. He was taking a break from his journey near the base of the Great Dun Fell, the second-highest mountain in England’s Pennines, when an unexpected sight unfolded before him—a herd of cows heading his way.
As the cows approached, a farmer, desperately chasing after them, urgently called out to Andrew, requesting his assistance in stopping the wayward animals. Acting swiftly, Andrew positioned himself in front of the oncoming cows, raised his hands, and firmly shouted, “Stop!” Astonishingly, the cows obeyed his command, halting in their tracks, allowing the farmer to catch up and regain control.
Intrigued by this unusual encounter, Andrew shared the video of the incident on his Instagram account with a caption that read, “The strangest thing to ever happen to me on a bike ride. It involved a herd of runaway cows.”
Since he posted the video on September 4, it has garnered over 1.5 million likes and numerous comments. One Instagram user humorously noted, “Those cows listen better than my students…” while another playfully imagined sharing the tale with future generations, saying, “30 years later I’d be telling this story to my grandkids—’and that kids is how I stopped a herd of cows with my bare hands on that fine Wednesday morning.'”
In a follow-up video, Andrew revealed that he had been in contact with the farmer’s daughter, Laura, who conveyed her father Gary’s delight at the newfound fame of his cows. Laura also shared that Gary’s favorite comment on the video was the one referring to the cows as “grass puppies,” a term that has garnered 32,000 likes and further added to the charm of this unique encounter.
