A MAN from North Somerset needed 34 stitches to put his ear back together after being trampled unconscious by an overprotective cow

A MAN from North Somerset needed 34 stitches to put his ear back together after being trampled unconscious by an overprotective cow.Jo Bird, of Blagdon, was taking part in a 177-mile walk along Offa's Dyke in Wales with his dog, Fly, in aid of Weston Hospicecare when he came across a herd of cows. The father-of three, aged 59, said: "They were the South Devon variety and had calves with them. "I approached with caution and put Fly on a lead, which I thought would help to keep them calm as they looked a bit defensive. "One came up to me but I thought nothing of it and just shooed it away."Instead it head-butted me and tossed me into the air and onto the ground. "My last memory is that it was on top of me. It must have kicked me in the side of my head. "The next thing I recall was knocking on the door of a farmhouse about 300 yards from where I'd been hit without knowing how I'd got there."I was greeted by a farmer's wife who took one look at me, covered in blood and manure, before calling an ambulance." Jo was attacked 140 miles into his trek and needed 34 stitches to repair the damage to his ear.However, he managed to raise more than £4,000 for the charity despite his ordeal and wants to return to Wales to complete the remaining 37 miles of his trip. He chose the Weston charity because his friend, Julian Abel, is its medical director.