Story By: Maja Mishevksa, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

This is the moment a herd of cows protects a newborn calf from swooping vultures apparently eyeing it up as prey by charging at them.

The incident was filmed by former athlete Javier Moracho while he was cycling in Benasque Valley in the province of Huesca in the northern Spanish region of Aragon.

While cycling, he noticed “40 or 50” vultures circling in the sky a short distance away from a herd of grazing cows.

Moracho told local media: “A cow had just given birth and the vultures wanted the afterbirth on the ground, although they sometimes kill calves too.

“The herd was well organised to defend the newborn, which they moved into the middle with its mother.

“Meanwhile, other cows on the perimeter defended the herd from attacking vultures.”

He added: “The whole thing was sick!”

Moracho, whose family owns a cattle ranch in Monzon, said that he was surprised by the cows’ defensive strategy.

He added: “If the vultures had attacked them, I would have acted and forced them to go away.”

According to reports, the herd’s owner Santi also saw the vultures in the sky and he arrived on the scene shortly afterwards.

The local farmers union said that the population of vultures in the Pyrenees region has tripled in recent years, affecting their livestock.

Moracho said that the newborn calf is developing well and is grazing with its herd in a nearby field.