Video Shows Aftermath Of 23 Cows Killed By Lightning Strike

WARNING: Article contains images some may find distressing

Harrowing footage has emerged from a farm in Texas showing the death of 23 cows following a lightning storm.

Posted by the rancher Bobby Woody III, the footage was taken a few days after the storm happened in late August and the cows were believed to have been dead for a number of days when he discovered them.

In total, 15 cows and eight calves died and, given the scorch marks on their bellies, it would appear that the tragedy struck when lightning hit the meshing of the fence they were stood by.

The eerie footage shows all of the cows except one overturned in a row, with flies buzzing around them. One cow is further infield, with the Daily Mail reporting that Woody wrote on Facebook that they believed the force of the bolt of lightning threw it away from the fence.

"When the lightning hit, it had such strong voltage, it basically jolted one cow in the middle of the field," the stunned rancher said.

Woody wrote that it was one of the 'wildest and craziest' things he'd ever witnessed and the footage does indeed make for a grim spectacle. The farm is situated in Annona in Red River County, which is in the north of Texas.

Bobby Woody III/Storyful

The state is currently in the midst of storm season, which typically begins at the start of June and lasts right up until the end of November as hurricanes batter the coasts of the Caribbean and North America.

The most savage of these of course occurred recently, with the Bahamas decimated by Hurricane Dorian earlier this month. 2,500 people were originally listed as missing following the destruction, although the BBC has since reported that that number has now dropped to 1,300.

More than 5000 people were evacuated as the 185 mph winds hit and the US government has provided $4 million in humanitarian assistance to the beleaguered country.

In the USA, meanwhile, 25 tornadoes have been reported to the National Weather Service in the month of September alone, although the storms that wiped out the cattle in Annona are unlikely to have been as strong as that. Either way though, the footage strikes as a stark reminder of the powerlessness that life on Earth really has should mother nature decide to deal a bad hand.

Topics: Weather, Storm, US News, Animals

Simon Catling