An elderly couple killed by an angry ram likely would have died instantly because the impact of the animal’s horns was similar to being “hit by a sledgehammer at 80 miles per hour,” the victim’s son claimed.
Helge and Gaye Hansen, husband and wife, both in their eighties, were found dead on Thursday morning on their property on Anzac Valley Road in Waitakere, New Zealand, where they raised sheep, chickens and cattle.
Gaye’s son discovered the couple before being attacked by the aggressive animal.
He had gone to see the couple after not hearing from them for a couple of days.
The ram also confronted police officers before he was shot dead.
Anthony, Helge’s son with his ex-wife Jan, said it was “very terrible for both of them to be eliminated… in such strange and crazy circumstances.”
He said his father was “very cautious around rams” because he used to run a sheep farm and was aware of how ferocious the animals could be during mating season.
Helge and Gaye Hansen, husband and wife, both in their eighties, were found dead on Thursday morning at their property on Anzac Valley Road in Waitakere, New Zealand.
Police officers are shown carrying evidence bags at the property where a retired couple was found dead.
Police are seen at the home of a couple who were reportedly killed by a ram on their property
“It’s pretty brutal – their heads are designed to withstand impact, but it’s like a sledgehammer hitting you at 60 to 80 miles per hour,” Anthony said. Stuff.
Anthony said the family took comfort in the fact that their deaths would have been quick.
“He dedicated himself to what he loved to do and it was all over very quickly,” he said.
“That’s something that will give us a little more comfort: that Dad hasn’t suffered.”
Anthony’s mother, Jan Hansen, his father’s ex-wife, said she believed Helge went out to feed the animals while Gaye prepared dinner.
When he didn’t return, she believes Gaye went to investigate.
“That ram must have been waiting for her to walk through the door, I guess,” he told the website.
‘Don’t think that animals can’t think. A male animal in mating season can be quite cruel.
It comes as an animal behavior specialist has revealed that battering ram attacks leave victims with injuries similar to those suffered in a car crash.
Dr Lindsay Matthews, senior scientist at Matthews Research International, said attacks were rare, with only 11 reports of a human being killed by a ram recorded worldwide as of 2019.
But he said the animals, which can weigh up to 150kg, could attack unexpectedly and at high speed.
“Rams can hit other males very hard, then back up and charge at each other, hitting each other with cross force to the front of the head,” Dr Matthews said. RNZ.
He added: “Unless you keep an eye on them all the time, they can hit you suddenly.”
“The injuries reported resemble those of a car hit.”
The elderly couple’s death has been referred to the medical examiner.
A joint funeral will reportedly take place on Wednesday.