This 1 ton bull is believed to have killed Ricky Weinhold this past Saturday on a South Heidelberg Township Farm.
What would have provoked this “pet” bull that was loved by Ricky to kill him?
Was the bull playing or was he angry? The death is under investigation.
For me, I am perplexed. I wasn’t raised on a farm and obviously no expert on this subject but to me commonsense would dictate that a bull would not be a wise choice to have as a pet.
Upon further research I discovered bulls, when raised as very young calves, can become very fond of a person, following that person around like my dogs do with me. They also like to play just like puppies.
However, when bulls “play”, they like to kick, butt and jump. Just imagine a 1200 pound animal wanting to play with you.
According to the article, Weinhold’s injuries were inflicted by the hooves and the head of a bull which could be consistent with the bull “playing” with his victim.
The family of the late Ricky Weinhold now has a tough decision to make. What to do with a herd of ten cattle including the one who killed him. Do they kill the bull that Ricky loved as a pet? Could you? Or do they send him away to be a breeder? Or do they keep the herd?
But to me, one thing is for sure- you can’t tame wild animals! No a bull is not a wild animal but a farm animal. Nevertheless, it is not your “normal” pet. No matter how much anyone tries to domesticate or treat a wild animal as a pet, one can never forget their natural instincts. Look at what happened at SeaWorld.
But if humans want to treat these animals as pets, they must never forget to respect these types of animals for who and what they are; otherwise, tragedy will strike. These animals are not puppies. They are massive animals with strength that is unmatched by any human.
My condolences to the Weinhold family.