2 Cattle Attack, Gore Meter Reader: Police

MOSES LAKE, WA - A 54-year-old Grant County Public Utility District meter reader was gored in the leg by a bull during an attack by two of the animals at a home here Wednesday afternoon, the Grant County Sheriff's Office is saying.

The worker was attempting to read a meter at a home along Road 1.6 Northeast in a northern section of the city when the attack happened. A nearby homeowner came to her assistance, shooting and wounding the two bulls. The homeowner sheltered the meter reader in his home until authorities arrived.

The bulls were euthanized by the Grant County Sheriff's Office. The meter reader's present condition is unknown, authorities said.

Moses Lake is about 187 miles east of Seattle along I-90.

Bulls - uncastrated adult male cattle - can be extremely dangerous. A Centers for Disease Control study of cattle deaths found that 108 people were killed by the animal between 2003 and 2008. On Nov. 28, a cattle rancher in Florida was attacked by a bull for 30 minutes until police arrived and killed the animal.

Image of a bull by Flickr user Patrick Klok