Cow tipping

A Holstein cow

Cow tipping is the purported activity of sneaking up on a sleeping, upright cow and pushing it over for fun. In reality, though, cows generally do not sleep standing up.

According to popular belief, cows can easily be pushed over without much force because they are slow-moving, slow-witted and weak-legged, have a high-centre of gravity and sleep standing up. Numerous publications have debunked cow-tipping as a myth.

A variety of calculations have been performed, sometimes with humorous intent, to determine if cow tipping is physically possible. A study from the University of British Columbia concludes that cow tipping by a single person is impossible.

Some consider the attempt to practice it an act of animal abuse. In 2004, a Florida legislator proposed a ban on "cruelty to bovines", which, while not specifically addressing cow tipping, included language that would apply to the practice: "A person who, for the purpose of practice, entertainment, or sport, intentionally fells, trips, or otherwise causes a cow to fall or lose its balance by means of roping, lassoing, dragging, or otherwise touching the tail of the cow commits a misdemeanor of the first degree." The proposal did not become law.

External links

• The Register article debunking the myth of cow tipping while drunk by Lester Haines
• Cow Tipping at Curlie
• The Straight Dope on Cow Tipping
• The Cow Tipping Myth Debunked by a Veterinarian