Reports of bird flu endanger fans of bizarre 'cow hugging' craze | Bizarre news

A new craze is apparently threatened by reports of the first cases of bird flu in cattle.

'Cow cuddling', in which participants cuddle calves and adult cows for an hour or more, has recently taken off in the Britain and the US.

One of Metro's own reporters recently went along for testing firsthand the new craze, which proponents say can be soothing and even therapeutic.

However, the new trend appears to pose a risk of serious harm, as transmission of avian flu from birds to cattle was first reported in March.

The virus has already been confirmed among dairy herds in nine US states.

No such reports have yet been found in Britain, but scientists believe it is more widespread than initial testing and research suggests.

Texas has also seen its first case of cow-to-human transmission of the virus.

Still, the risk of human infections remains generally low, according to government data.

Still, officials have urged U.S. livestock producers to limit their herds' exposure to outside visitors.

In Michigan, this included the introduction of new sanitary measures and mandatory entry restrictions.

Tim Boring, director of Michigan's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, has said, “From a human-to-animal health perspective, this is not a good time to be hugging cows.”

“This is to protect the cows and people.”

The prospect of further restrictions could prove daunting for some farms already benefiting from the craze.

Luz and Dan Klotz, who run Luz Farms in Illinois, shared Sky News that just one hour of 'cow cuddling' is enough to keep their herd fed for a week.

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