An elderly Australian woman collecting eggs from a chicken coop in her backyard was killed after being pecked by her pet rooster.
According to the Daily Mirror, the woman died after her rooster reportedly punctured one of her varicose veins.
As a result, she began bleeding profusely.
While the unidentified woman received a number of other injuries, her cause of death was listed as bleeding. The blood flow could not be stopped, the Mirror said.
The tragic incident has triggered a warning to the elderly about dealing with animals that are usually considered harmless and about tending to their varicose veins.
“Most importantly I’m trying to get elderly people to have varicose veins treated with a simple operation because they are especially vulnerable to being broken,” Prof. Roger Byard told News.com.au.
“We have done studies that show people have just been around their homes and bled to death by knocking their leg and the vein on something.”
Byard said pets can be fraught with danger.
“Cats are a very common tripping hazard for the elderly around the house that they may never think of,” he noted
