JUST a word of warning to those cattle breeders who are likely to be involved in AGL’s seismic testing: despite assurances apparently given to AGL by a dairy farmer that his cattle did not react to the noise of the helicopter, I arrived home late on Friday afternoon to see the aircraft flying below treetop level from west to east. It climbed to get over the trees and disappeared.
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When I arrived at my gateway, my weaners and yearlings were lying down in the paddock to the south of where I had seen the helicopter.
By the time I had got my mail, opened the gate and driven into the lane, there was an almighty roar above my head, and I saw this red helicopter come down over the treeline and fly from east to west, low to the ground into the gully and straight up the hill, directly at the cattle.
The whole mob jumped up and ran full tilt ‘till the leaders hit the electric fence. They all bunched up in a heap and stayed there.
If the fence had not been there, I don’t know how far they would have run. I waited ten minutes, to see if the helicopter came back, but it did not.
Quite frankly, if I had been in the paddock, I also would have run.
The sight of a bright red aircraft with a big metal pole sticking out, roaring and heading right at you would be enough to frighten anybody - human or animal.
I suggest anyone who has vulnerable cattle - springers or young cattle - put them in a paddock with a lot of trees, thus preventing the helicopter from flying as low as it did on my property.
