British teacher gored by water buffalo in Cambodia
Residents rushed to Fiona Childs' aid as she tried to fend off the "wild" animal as it charged at her as she walked to a beach.
Thursday 22 February 2018 10:45, UK
A British teacher who was gored by a water buffalo in Cambodia feels "lucky" to be alive and has said she does not want the animal to "come to any harm".
Fiona Childs "kicked and screamed" as the animal charged at her on the island of Koh Rong Samloem.
Islanders rushed to her aid as she tried to fend off the animal which attacked her shins and thighs.
She was rushed to a mainland hospital in Sihanoukville following Tuesday's attack.
Ms Childs, who teaches at St Andrews International School near Bangkok in Thailand, was on a half-term break at the time.
A spokeswoman for the school said Ms Childs, who is reportedly from Crawley in West Sussex, is "fine", but is still unable to walk because of her injuries.
"We are now organising an ambulance to Bangkok, so we can take care of her," she said.
"She was heading to the beach when a buffalo confronted her on the path and attacked.
"It seems to have gone wild and has attacked several people, but none as badly as this.
"Its owner has been incredibly supportive, and has taken responsibility and is paying all of her expenses while she is in Cambodia.
"Fiona herself doesn't want it (the buffalo) to come to any harm, but it had obviously been on the loose.
"She's really lucky because it's her legs rather than her stomach or head. I believe she kicked and screamed, but the buffalo did charge."
According to Ms Child's Facebook page, she has previously worked with several environmental and animal rights organisations, including Shark Savers and The Reef-World Foundation.
In a 2016 post, she encouraged "UK citizens and resident friends" to sign a petition calling for a ban on the use of plastic microbeads in cosmetics sold in Britain to stop them ending up in waterways and oceans.